At the 2023 Auto Shanghai, Hyundai debuted the brand-new Hyundai Mufasa – its name clearly inspired by the 90s Disney movie, Lion King.
Now, eyebrow-raising name aside, the Hyundai Mufasa is a China-only compact crossover, one that aims at rivals like the Toyota Corolla Cross. It is set to go on sale in China some time in June.
Visually, the Hyundai Mufasa adopts the company’s “Sensuous Sportiness” design language, featuring a massive X-shaped front fascia finished in black, with lighting elements pushed to the edges.
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Towards the rear of the Mufasa, it gets an equally-massive black trim piece that stretches across the tailgate with the HYUNDAI name plastered across.
Inside, the Hyundai Mufasa is a blend of modernity and simplicity. As with most Chinese market cars, the Mufasa gets dual digital displays, one for the instrument cluster, while the other is for infotainment duties.
Speaking of displays, the Mufasa’s climate control is fully touch – there’s no physical buttons at all. The only two physical buttons are for the radio’s volume and frequency controls.
A single powertrain option will be offered – a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that does 160 PS and 193 Nm. No word on what transmission, but other Beijing Hyundai-manufactured SUVs offer a CVT automatic transmission, dry-type dual-clutch automatic, an even a torque converter automatic.
With those kind of power figures, the Mufasa is down on power compared to the Tucson (up to 200 PS, 253 Nm) and ix35 (up to 140 PS, 242 Nm).
Closer to home, while Malaysia won’t be getting the Mufasa (at least for the time being), we can look to the all-new Hyundai Tucson, Ioniq 6, and Santa Fe facelift – all of which are scheduled to launch here within the next few months.
Source: Inspired by Lion King, this Hyundai Mufasa is aimed at the Toyota Corolla Cross