Hyundai Bayon launched at ₹9.99 lakh: prices, variants and what it means for Creta buyers

Hyundai Motor India launched the Bayon on 26 October 2026 at an introductory ex-showroom price of ₹9,99,900. It is Hyundai's second midsize SUV for India, slotted between the Venue and the Creta, and India is the first market in the world to get it. Bookings have been open since 23 September for a ₹11,000 token, and Hyundai says deliveries started on launch day.

What happened

The Bayon is built at Hyundai's Chennai plant in both right- and left-hand drive, because it will also be exported to more than 50 markets. For India it comes with one engine: the four-cylinder 1.5-litre MPi petrol that already powers the Creta (Hyundai says over 6 lakh cars have used it since 2020), making 84.4 kW (115 PS) and 143.8 Nm. Buyers choose between a 6-speed manual and Hyundai's iVT (a CVT with a "Dash Boost" overtaking mode and paddle shifters). Hyundai claims 18.6 kmpl for the iVT under ARAI testing. There is no turbo-petrol and no diesel. A CNG version, with Hyundai's first underbody tank, arrives in January 2027.

Seven variants are on sale. Prices below are ex-showroom, introductory, as published on launch day:

Variant	6MT	iVT
HX2	₹9.99 lakh	–
HX3	₹10.89 lakh	–
HX3+	₹11.79 lakh	–
HX5	₹12.44 lakh	₹13.84 lakh
HX6	₹13.56 lakh	₹15.00 lakh
HX8	₹15.09 lakh	₹16.53 lakh
HX10	₹16.64 lakh	₹18.00 lakh

The Bayon measures 4,245 mm long, 1,810 mm wide and 1,605 mm tall with roof rails, on a 2,600 mm wheelbase. Ground clearance is 205 mm, the turning radius is 5.16 m and the boot holds 505 litres. That makes it about 5 cm shorter than the current Creta but with a bigger boot.

On the equipment front the headline items are a pair of 12.3-inch curved displays, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, an 8-way powered driver's seat, two-step reclining rear seats, a Bose sound system, wireless charging and 17-inch diamond-cut alloys. Hyundai's press material leans hard on software: an NVIDIA-accelerated "ccNC" cockpit, over 70 Bluelink connected features, up to 19 controllers that can be updated over the air, and the company's first generative-AI voice assistant, built on Perplexity for answers and SoundHound for speech. The AI assistant works in English only; 500-odd embedded voice commands cover Hindi, Hinglish, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali without a data connection.

Safety is the other pillar. Hyundai says the Global K enhanced platform uses 69 per cent high-strength steel and is engineered for a 5-star Bharat NCAP result; Autocar India reports the official rating is expected by year-end. Six airbags, ESC, hill-start assist, TPMS and all-wheel disc brakes are standard on every variant, with more than 35 standard safety features in all. Higher variants add SmartSense Level 2 Pro ADAS with 23 functions using three radars and a camera, including Highway Driving Assist, navigation-based cruise control that slows for curves and speed zones, a surround-view monitor and a blind-spot view monitor.

What it means for an Indian buyer

Hyundai now has a two-pronged attack on the midsize segment, the way Maruti does with the Victoris and Grand Vitara. The Bayon takes the entry and mid variants of the Creta's price band, which frees the next-generation Creta (due in 2027) to move upmarket.

Three things matter when you compare it with a Creta, Victoris, Hyryder, Seltos or Tata Sierra. First, powertrain choice: the Bayon is petrol-only until the CNG arrives, and the engine is the same naturally aspirated 1.5 as the base Creta. If you want a diesel or a turbo-petrol, the Bayon is not for you. Second, value against the Creta: the base Bayon is ₹91,000 cheaper than the base Creta, and the loaded HX10 iVT at ₹18 lakh undercuts the equivalent Creta CVT by ₹69,000 while adding Level 2 Pro ADAS, the dual curved screens and the AI assistant. Third, the Venue question: a base Bayon manual is about ₹2 lakh more than a Venue 1.2 petrol, but you get a bigger body, the 1.5 engine, and an automatic option the Venue 1.2 does not offer.

Our reading: the HX5 and HX6 variants are where the Bayon makes most sense. They bring the safety and screen hardware without pushing into the price territory where a turbo Creta or a hybrid Victoris starts to make a stronger case. The HX2 at ₹9.99 lakh is a headline price; most showroom traffic will land in the ₹12–15 lakh band.

Note that these are introductory prices. Hyundai Motor India posted record revenue but a 24 per cent fall in Q2 profit on 28 October, citing commodity costs, and the industry is already in a cycle of small quarterly hikes. If you are booking, confirm in writing whether your price is protected at delivery.

The Auto Grid angle

The Bayon's "Art of Steel" design uses tight, sharp creases on the bonnet and the pronounced front and rear wheel arches, and all of that is painted metal. Those flared arches sit exactly where a gravel-strewn ORR slip road throws stones, and the low, wide front bumper takes the brunt of two-wheeler kerb-side scrapes in Hyderabad traffic. A brand-new car has its softest clear coat in the first weeks before it fully cures, which is why we tell every new owner to get PPF on at least the bonnet, front bumper, mirror caps and the leading edge of the arches in week one, before the first highway run. The black cladding around the arches hides scuffs; the painted metal above it does not.

Rivals and what comes next

The Bayon goes up against the Maruti Victoris and Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Kia Seltos, Tata Sierra, Honda Elevate, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, Citroen Aircross and MG Astor. Hyundai's own Creta remains the closest internal rival. The CNG version in January will make the Bayon Hyundai's first CNG midsize SUV in India. Expect the Bharat NCAP result to land before the end of the year; we will update this story when Hyundai or BNCAP publishes it.