SUVs are all the rage in Malaysia and in the B-segment market, there will be a new player in town against the likes of the Honda HR-V and Proton X50, the 2023 Hyundai Creta. Hyundai-Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) has officially opened the order books for the Creta at all its authorised sales outlets nationwide and via its online booking platform, Cl!cktoBuy.

“With so much practicality and space contained within a compact footprint, it’s not difficult to see why SUVs continue to rise in popularity, both globally and in Malaysia. The Hyundai Creta illustrates this perfectly, and we look forward to giving Malaysians more choices in the realm of SUVs upon its introduction, which is just around the corner!” said Sime Darby Motors Managing Director of Retail and Distribution for Malaysia Mr Jeffrey Gan.

“The Hyundai Creta targets the young as well as the young-at-heart with its distinctive combination of contemporary design, connected technology and comprehensive active safety features. Optimised for the Asia-Pacific market, this B-segment SUV also offers the practicality, space and convenience to suit active lifestyles,” said HSDM Managing Director Mr Low Yuan Lung.

Also read: The Korean answer to the X50? 2023 Hyundai Creta spied; coming to Malaysia

The Creta stands out in front with its Parametric Jewel front end where the LED daytime running lights (DRLs) are hidden within the prominent grille. Meanwhile, its interior offers a 10.25-inch TFT LCD cluster and an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Safety-wise, the Creta is given a full 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating and the Malaysian unit will be offered with 6 airbags and Hyundai SmartSense ADAS suite as standard. The ADAS suite consists of:

• Forward and Blind Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist
• Lane Keeping Assist
• Lane Following Assist
• Leading Vehicle Departure Alert
• Rear Cross Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist
• Safe Exit Warning
• High Beam Assist

Also read: Malaysia-bound Hyundai Creta gets 5-star ASEAN NCAP rating but scores less than HR-V and X50

More details on the Hyundai Creta will be revealed closer to launch though Hyundai's online booking site lists only one variant of the Creta, the 1.5 Plus. based on some of the information revealed here, it seems that the Malaysia-bound Creta could be similarly equipped to one of the higher variants of the Indonesian-spec Creta, the Style and Prime variants.

Both upper variants of the Creta are powered by a naturally-aspirated 1.5-litre SmartStream engine (115 PS/144 Nm) and are paired to a CVT-type automatic gearbox. The Creta Style is priced at IDR 376 million (~RM 112k) while the Creta Prime is priced at IDR 408.3 million (~RM 122k).

Also read: It appears as if the Hyundai Creta is coming to Malaysia to stir some trouble in the B-segment