This Chinese Hyundai Custo is a smaller, more maneuverable Kia Carnival

Hyundai’s Chinese subsidiary, Beijing Hyundai, has just officially released exterior photos of its newest MPV in years. The 2021 Hyundai Custo is the Chinese cousin to the Kia Carnival and is building on the expectation of a growing Chinese family following the country’s abolishment of the one-child policy.

Even if it shares some resemblance to the Carnival, there are some design elements that keep it close to the rest of Hyundai’s line-up. The most obvious being the curved front profile which is influenced by the Hyundai Tucson.

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The massive grille shows off Hyundai’s parametric jewel surface theme with a pair of dagger-shaped headlights and integrated LED DRLs. The front bumper also accommodates the fog lights with chrome surrounds.

Compared to the Carnival which accommodates up to 11 seats, the Custo would only allow a maximum of 7 seats. Though similar in size to the Toyota Alphard, the Custo won't be as luxurious as Toyota's flagship MPV.

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For added convenience, the Custo comes with a pair of electric sliding doors with an opening width of 715 mm.

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At the rear, the Custo uses a single-piece design for the taillights with "HYUNDAI" spelled out in full in the centre. Completing the SUV-esque looks are the black plastic cladding and faux bash plates on the rear bumper.

Meanwhile, Beijing Hyundai has not revealed the interior photos but some have been “leaked” online and it does look very minimalist. In the middle, there is a 10.4-inch vertical touchscreen similar to a Tesla or a Mercedes-Benz S-Class and a push gear selector.

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Adding on to the Custo's presumed luxury is a pair of captain’s chairs in the middle row. According to official info, the seats come with a function called “one-button relaxation mode” which claims to give passengers the most comfortable experience on the road.

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Two powertrains are offered for the MPV – a 1.5-litre engine (170 PS/253 Nm) and a 2.0-litre engine (236 PS/353 Nm). Both engines are turbocharged and are mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Prices for the Hyundai Custo remain unknown for now and the model is expected to be revealed to the public at the 2021 Chengdu Motor Show which starts from 27-August to 5-September 2021.

As the Custo remains China-only for now, chances are slim for Hyundai’s newest MPV to make it here. Instead, Malaysians could be expecting the arrival of the smaller Stargazer which will compete against the Mitsubishi Xpander and the next-gen Perodua Alza.

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