The Hyundai Kona is a decent piece of kit for the B-segment but it’s not quite friendly on the wallet here in Malaysia. This is where the Hyundai Creta slots in below it to potentially boost the South Korean carmaker’s sales on our shores.

Hyundai calls it their Asian strategy model. A quick look in the dictionary of “marketing fluff” defines that as a model targeted at emerging markets; much like Southeast Asia.

It shares its platform with its corporate cousin, the Kia Seltos. Being a 5-seater, its natural predators will be the likes of the Proton X50.

Also Read: Malaysia-bound 2022 Hyundai Creta facelift makes global debut at GIIAS 2021

Hyundai has invested a massive USD 1.5 billion (~RM 6.3 billion) in a new plant in Cikarang, West Java, Indonesia in the hopes of transforming the archipelago into its Southeast Asian hub.

The plant has a capacity of 150,000 units annually with half of that allocated for export. Naturally, you can expect the Malaysian Creta to be part of that half. Apart from our neighbours, the Creta is also manufactured in Russia, Brazil and India.

Also Read: Indonesia's 7-seat Hyundai Creta is coming to Malaysia in 2022, upsets Proton X50's export plans

The Creta is produced in Indonesia although it was designed by their Korean R&D department. Plans by the carmaker is to build another three models alongside the Creta; the B-segment sedan Hyundai Accent, a Toyota Avanza-class MPV and yet to be announced pick-up truck.

Seeing that the Creta will be assembled in Cikarang, that could indicate it will eventually make its way to Malaysia.

While Malaysia does impose high excise duties for Indonesian-assembled models, the increasing popularity of compact SUVs here could still sway consumers towards it. While rumours have long circulated that a 7-seater version is in development due to that configuration's popularity in Indonesia, Hyundai Indonesia has put a stop to that. A 7-seater version of the Creta exists as the Alcazar only in the Indian market.

Also Read: Review: 2021 Hyundai Kona N-Line - A surprise package, in a good way

Power train options for now are limited to the naturally-aspirated, all-aluminium Smartstream 1.5-litre petrol engine making 115 PS and 143.8 Nm of torque.

Transmission options in Indonesia is a six-speed manual but Malaysia will most likely receive the CVT that Hyundai's dubbed the iVT.

Design-wise, the Creta is unmistakably Hyundai with the new parametric grille design language that stretches across the width of the car and discreetly incorporates the LED DRLs at the edges. When switch off, the DRLs seamlessly blend in with the grille to mimic the Hyundai Tucson.

Over the Straits of Malacca, the Creta is sold in four variants; Active, Trend, Style and Prime. We doubt Malaysians will have access to all four variants and an educated guess will probably see us getting the higher trims.

In Indonesia, there are 11 colour options available with 8 of them bring monotones and the remaining 3 dual tone blends.

Even with its positioning below the Kona, the Creta isn’t lacking in bells and whistles. The higher trims pack a 10.25 inch digital instrument cluster, optional panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, a wireless charging pad, electric parking brake and an 8-inch infotainment display (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) linked to an 8-speaker Bose sound system. Lest we forget the cooled glovebox as well.

Safety isn’t lacking with 6 airbags and the flagship trim also gets Hyundai’s SmartSense ADAS suite of active safety tech. It includes forward-collision avoidance assist, lane-keep assist, lane-follow assist and blind-spot collision avoidance assist.

It’s currently anyone’s guess on pricing but over in Indonesia, the Creta starts at IDR 279 million and goes up to IDR 399 million (~RM 82k to RM 117k) which overlaps the Honda HR-V over there.

Hat tip to our Indonesian sister site, AutoFun, for the photos.