Casper, which was officially released on the 29th, recorded 18,940 units on the first day of its online pre-contract (14th), beating Grandeur, and has been successful even before its launch, raising expectations for the revival of the domestic compact car market.
Casper is characterized by folding (folding the back seat forward) and reclining (sloping the back seat back and forth) and sliding (moving the seat back and forth).
Inside Casper Studios, augmented reality (AR) experiences were able to confirm that actual camping or shopping items were loaded into the Casper trunk.
The model that was tested on the day was the Casper 1.0 Turbo Inspiration trim. The company departed from Casper Studio in Yongin, and traveled about 56 kilometers after passing through Giheung-dongtan Interchange (IC), Anseong Junction (JC), and Seoanseong IC to return to Casper Studio
Even in drizzly weather, Casper ran stably without slipping.
Although the test drive was replaced with AR experience without directly testing it, Casper’s advantage is the forward collision prevention assistance function, which stops suddenly when pedestrians appear in front.
Hyundai Motor announced on the 15th that 18,940 Casper cars were booked in advance the day before, which is scheduled to be released on the 29th.
This is the largest pre-booking record for Hyundai Motor’s existing internal combustion locomotive. The previous record was 17,294 units of the 6th-generation Grandeur facelift (partial change) model launched in November 2019
Casper’s number of pre-orders on the first day is fifth in history, including Hyundai Motor Group and electric vehicles. It is followed by Ioniq 5 (23,760 units), Kia 4th generation Carnival (23,6 units), Genesis 3rd generation G80 (22,012 units), Kia EV6 (21,016 units), and Kia 4th generation Sorento (18,941 units).
On the first day, Casper’s pre-booking volume exceeded the production target of 12,000 units within this year. It is known that the application for the contract was so crowded that the server on Casper’s online website went down, and the president of Moon Jae In also booked Casper.
“We were able to get an explosive response from the first day of the reservation due to its versatile marketability with design, safety, and space in addition to economic feasibility,” a Hyundai Motor official said. “It was the first time for a Korean car brand to increase the convenience of purchase by selling it directly to customers (online).”
Casper is the first lightweight to have an intelligent safety technology, forward collision prevention assistance (vehicle/walker/bike rider), lane departure prevention assistance, lane keeping assistance, driver’s warning, and front vehicle departure notification.
For the first time in the world, it has expanded indoor space utilization by applying a “full-folding” seat that fully folds the driver’s seat.
Casper’s sales price is ▲ Smart 13.85 million won ▲ Modern 15.9 million won ▲ Inspiration 18.7 million won. When choosing “Casper Active (Turbo Model), 950,000 won will be added for Smart and Modern and 900,000 won for Inspiration.
Casper basically applied lane departure prevention assistance and lane maintenance assistance for the first time in a light type, and also installed side airbags in the front seat center.
The price of the test drive model on this day was KRW 2.70 million, adding Casper Active II (KRW 900,000), Sunroof (KRW 400,000), and storage (KRW 70,000) to Inspiration Trim (18.7 million).
Although the price range is somewhat higher for a compact SUV, it is expected to be an attractive option for one or two-person households who enjoy camping and car camping or consumers who are considering “second cars” as it has price competitiveness compared to small SUVs.
I got on the Gyeongbu Expressway and pressed the accelerator pedal, but increasing the speed at once felt the noise and vibration as if I was trying to exert some effort. However, the acceleration became easier when I changed the driving mode from a normal to a sport.
The Casper gasoline 1.0 turbo model has a maximum power output of 100 PS and a maximum torque of 17.5 kgf·m. Instead of a turbo engine, the gasoline 1.0 model has a maximum power output of 76 PS, which is the same as Ray’s.
At more than 70km/h, some road noise and wind noise were felt, and the rough conditions of the road surface were conveyed on the uneven road. I operated the rough driving mode, but there was no difference.
However, considering that Casper is a light vehicle with a displacement of 998 ㏄, the driving was generally easy.
When the smart cruise control function was activated on the highway and the vehicle suddenly stepped forward from the next lane, Casper helped him drive comfortably by slowing down the speed stably and maintaining a preset inter-vehicle distance.
When the first-row passenger seat and the second-row seat were completely folded, there was a space for 183cm-tall adult male staff to lie straight, making it possible to “car camping” (car + accommodation), which is a recent trend.
The interior space that is simple and practical was impressive, too. Casper does not have a center console. Instead, it connects the cup holder to the driver’s seat and enhances space utilization with a bench seat that can fully raise the armrest like a movie theater seat.
If you push the first row of seats back, you can move freely between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat.
Casper’s height is 1,575mm, slightly lower than Kia Ray’s (1,700mm), but it was quite relaxed because there were about two fists above the head when sitting in the driver’s seat. Even in the rear seat, there was not enough space in front of the leg, but the headroom was enough, which made it feel less stuffy.
Casper, who first encountered at the media test drive held at the Casper Studio in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, on the 27th, looked as smart and sturdy as his round eyes (headlamps).
Before the test drive in earnest, we checked the driver’s full-folding seat that Hyundai Motor has applied for the first time in the world. The driver’s seat was flattened by fully folding it forward.