The India-spec Hyundai Creta will soon be receiving a generation change. In all probability, that will happen sometime next year after India is done jumping from BS-IV to BS-VI emission standards and the crash-test safety norms are in place. For the uninitiated, the latter will be tested by Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme). What we see here is the all-new Hyundai ix25 which has debuted at this year’s Shanghai Auto Show. While the model is for the Chinese market, it will receive some changes and eventually become the new Hyundai Creta for India.

The new Hyundai ix25 carries the same design language we saw on the Palisade SUV. The cascading front grille and split headlamp enclosures give the compact SUV a more rounded front fascia rather than an upright one. The side profile still has strong shoulder lines and the dual-tone alloys housed within the nicely proportioned wheel arches look remarkably similar to those we’ve seen on the upcoming Hyundai Venue. The rear too has radical styling cues, with split taillamp enclosures, and a massive faux diffuser. Don’t worry if you don’t like the look of it. Hyundai India will tone it down for the new Creta.

As for the interiors, expect them to be modern and crisp too. In the ix25, Hyundai has adopted a dual-tone theme and the central part of the dashboard houses a large infotainment system. On the features front, the compact SUV gets cooled seats, a push-button engine starts/stop function, paddle shifters behind the multifunction steering wheel and an electronic parking brake. It is too soon to say what the new Creta will get in its package but one this is for sure – it will feature Hyundai’s BlueLink technology which is destined to debut with the Venue.

In India, the Creta shares almost all its underpinnings with the Verna sedan and the new model will follow suit. The SUV is likely to come with two new 1.5-litre engines (one petrol and diesel each). Considering that they will be BS VI-compliant and the new Creta will be safer than ever before, it will cost considerably more than it does now. Unfortunately, this will be the case with all new cars from April 2020.