Hyundai Casper Lounge Is A Gussied-Up Electric City Car That I Need Like I Need Air To Breathe
We are known Hyundai Casper stans here at Jalopnik, and we have been since the funky diminutive city car first broke cover in 2021. Whether it's the gas-powered version, the electric version, or the absolutely bonkers rally-inspired Insteroid concept, we love Hyundai's tiniest crossover, but now there's a new reason to fawn over its adorable face. Hyundai just released a new flavor called the Casper Electric Lounge, a more luxury-focused trim level complete with genuine leather seating surfaces (and some of the coolest wheels I've ever seen reach production from a major automaker.
I will address the elephant in the room — the Casper is not and will likely never be sold in the United States. (In export markets like Europe and the Middle East, it's called the Inster.) Compared to Hyundai's smallest crossover in the U.S., the Venue, the Casper is a massive 20 inches shorter in length, so it likely wouldn't appeal to American consumers, sadly, and getting past crash tests would be tough.
In most cases, the Casper is a bare-bones economy car, but not the Casper Lounge
The Casper's normal mission is to be a cheap, space-efficient little runabout, but the Casper Lounge brings some luxury into the equation with genuine leather seats that even come in a dual-tone dark grey and orange color scheme, with mint-colored interior accents when the mint paint color is selected. The headliner is also made from a nicer knit material. Additionally, the Casper Lounge has a big 10.25-inch infotainment screen, a surround-view monitor, ventilated front seats, 64-color ambient interior lighting, a heated steering wheel, and premium sound system with kevlar cones.
Its 17-inch alloy wheels may resemble a deli meat slicer blade, but their bold design really complements the car's already fun styling, especially considering its truly dinky size. This thing is more than 11 inches shorter overall than a two-door Mini Cooper.
Hyundai
The Lounge is powered by the most powerful electric motor available in a Casper, a 113-hp one that's powered by the larger 49-kWh battery pack that gives it a range of over 180 miles on the Korean cycle. It's unclear if the Lounge will make it to other markets outside of Korea, though it's likely given that other trims are exported. I love when automakers imbue tiny cars with luxury features. Just because you want a small car doesn't mean you want to be surrounded by cheap materials and a general lack of creature comforts. It's a shame that the rest of the country still believes bigger is better.