All-new Hyundai Bayon confirmed as testing begins
Hyundai isn’t giving up on small petrol cars despite its all-electric Ioniq revolution
Hyundai facelifted the Bayon as recently as December, yet the Korean company has already set about testing the car’s second-generation replacement.
Confirmed for launch within the next 18 months by Hyundai Europe CEO Xavier Martinet, the new Hyundai Bayon looks set to offer something significantly different to the current model, if these spy shots are anything to go by.
The current Bayon is based on the same Hyundai-Kia K2 platform as the i20 and while it’s a little taller and chunkier than its supermini sibling, it’s much closer size-wise to the i20 compared to the larger Kona SUV it sits below.
The prototype we’ve spotted has a much taller roofline than the existing Bayon and has a more SUV-like stance too with visibly more ground clearance. The overall proportions are still smaller than the Kona’s, but the new Bayon should provide Hyundai with a closer rival to its sister car from Kia, the newly-updated Stonic.
The current Bayon is priced from around £24,000 with the Stonic a little cheaper. You can get an average saving of over £2,000 on the Kia via the Auto Express Find A Car service now.
New Hyundai Bayon details and specs
In other markets, Hyundai sells a B-segment crossover called the Venue and we expect the Bayon to borrow some of this car’s design details. There will be plenty of SUV references on the new Bayon with black A-pillars, thick plastic wheel cladding and roof rails all suggest this will be a more rugged-looking car than the current model. However, it’ll also look more sophisticated, with split LED headlights and a dramatically rising window line.
Right now the Bayon is only offered with an 89bhp 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder with the mild-hybrid ditched from the line up in 2024. If this next-generation Bayon sits on the K2 platform, we could see the 113bhp mild-hybrid return. This would undoubtedly improve efficiency and performance, but also give it the tools to compete with the new Stonic, which does get that 1.0-litre mild-hybrid, and others like the Ford Puma mild-hybrid and Suzuki S-Cross.
All Bayons currently get twin 10.25-inch screens on the dash with integrated sat-nav and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The new car is likely to benefit from Hyundai’s usual twin 12.3-inch display - something already offered on the Kia Seltos. While we know that the company is working on its next generation of user interface, this model’s position at the more affordable end of the brand’s range suggests it’ll retain a more basic set-up. Inside, expect headroom to be a little more accommodating than in the outgoing Bayon thanks to that taller profile.
The key stat for the new Bayon, however, will be its price. The larger Kona kicks off at just over £27,000 so we don’t expect a huge increase over the current car’s price - which starts at £23,795 in Black Line trim.
We don’t yet know when the new Bayon will be revealed, but given the prototype’s appearance, with production-ready lighting and bodywork, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the covers come off before the end of the year.
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