Hyundai HB20 Was Built Only for Brazil, the Alcazar Is a Stretched Creta

Hyundai's HB20 is the only Hyundai that was strategically developed, and built, for a single country. The letters stand for Hyundai Brasil, and the car has been produced in Brazil since 2012 with flex-fuel engines. The Stargazer and the Alcazar are different answers to the same idea: one an MPV made in Indonesia, the other a stretched Creta made in India.

What are the Hyundai HB20, Stargazer and Alcazar?

The HB20 is a subcompact car made in Brazil. The Stargazer is a compact MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) that Hyundai Motor Company has built in Indonesia since 2022. The Alcazar is a three-row compact crossover SUV made in India and introduced in April 2021.

Each is aimed at a particular set of markets. The HB20 reached other Latin American countries only from 2016, while the Stargazer is sold across Southeast Asia and the Gulf, and the Alcazar goes by other names in Mexico, the Middle East and South Africa.

The HB20 is the only Hyundai developed and produced for one country.

What is the Hyundai HB20 and why is it only for Brazil?

The HB20 is a subcompact car produced by Hyundai Motor Company since 2012 in Brazil. Hyundai says it is the first and only model it planned and built solely for Brazil. Its engines are flex-fuel, meaning they are designed to run on petrol, ethanol or a mix of the two, and the car stayed in Brazil until 2016, when Paraguay and Uruguay began to receive it, followed by Mexico and Colombia in 2022 and Argentina in 2024.

The number 20 is Hyundai's label for vehicles in this class, in line with the similarly sized Hyundai i20. In 2013 more than 75% of the parts were made in Brazil.

How did the first-generation HB20 work?

It had two engines: a 1.0-litre and a 1.6-litre. The top version used the 1.6-litre Gamma engine, with 128 hp. Buyers could choose automatic or manual transmission with the 1.6, but only manual with the 1.0.

The HB20S is the sedan version, with the same engines, transmissions and wheelbase as the hatchback. It measures 4.23 m (166.5 in) long and has a 450 L (16 cu ft) boot, against 300 L (11 cu ft) for the hatchback.

The HB20X is an adventure version, made and sold only in Brazil, that takes on the expanding mini SUV segment. It has front-wheel drive only, mixed-use tyres, slightly raised suspension and a few visual upgrades, and only the 1.6-litre Gamma engine. The HB20 R-Spec Concept was presented at the 2014 Sao Paulo Motor Show.

How safe has the HB20 been?

Latin NCAP gave the most basic Latin American HB20 three stars for adults and one for toddlers in March 2013, and an updated one four stars for adults and three for toddlers in November 2013.

The second generation faced newer test protocols. In 2019, with two airbags and stability control, it earned one star for adults and three for toddlers from Latin NCAP 2.0. In 2020 a basic version with two airbags, a driver pretensioner and no stability control received zero stars from Latin NCAP 3.0. The facelifted car, with six airbags, an airbag switch, a driver pretensioner, front load limiters, stability control and speed assist, got three stars in 2023.

What changed with the second-generation HB20?

The second generation (BR2) was launched on 17 September 2019, and also comes in a crossover-look HB20X. A facelifted car followed in July 2022, badged as a 2023 model.

Mexico received the HB20 on 27 September 2022, replacing the locally built Accent. It is sold as a sedan and a hatchback in GL (sedan only), GL Mid and GLS trims, with automatic or manual transmission.

What is the Hyundai Stargazer?

Hyundai Motor Company builds the Stargazer in Indonesia, and the first units rolled off the assembly line at HMMI in Cikarang on 15 July 2022, and the public debut came at the 29th Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show on 11 August.

Which grades does the Stargazer have in Indonesia?

It was launched with four grades: Active, Trend, Style and Prime. Active and Trend can be had with a six-speed manual or a CVT, while Style and Prime come only with the CVT. Captain seats are optional on every grade except the Active, and Hyundai's SmartSense driver-assistance system is standard on the Prime.

An update on 17 July 2023 brought a revised dashboard for all grades, rear disc brakes and an electronic parking brake with auto hold for the Prime, and a new Essential grade that replaced the Trend. On 13 February 2025 the Style gave way to the Essential Tech, which has SmartSense.

What is the Stargazer Cartenz?

Indonesia received the facelift as the Stargazer Cartenz on 23 July 2025, unveiled at the 32nd Gaikindo show. It comes in four variants: Trend, Style, Smart HSS and Prime HSS. All use the engine from the earlier model. Hyundai describes the theme as an Original Indonesian Car, developed for local consumers' needs. The name comes from the Carstensz Pyramid, the highest peak in Indonesia, and represents Hyundai's aim of reaching higher standards in innovation and comfort.

The exterior has a larger grille, new headlights and H-shaped LED daytime running lights, faux intakes on the front bumper, a longer bonnet, new wheels and roof rails. At the rear, new taillights repeat the H motif, the number plate moves down to the bumper and silver accents are added.

Inside, there are 10.25-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment, a redesigned dashboard without the tubular trim, new climate controls and, on the Cartenz X, a shift-by-wire lever mounted on the steering wheel instead of a traditional gear lever. New features include a Bose sound system, satellite navigation and a powered driver's seat with ventilation.

All Cartenz models have Hyundai SmartSense advanced driver-assistance systems, with new features such as a Blind Spot View Monitor, Front Parking Distance Warning, Smart Cruise Control with Stop and Go and a Surround View Monitor.

What is the Stargazer X?

A more rugged-looking variant, revealed at the 30th Gaikindo show on 10 August 2023. It is distinguished by a redesigned bonnet, grille and bumper guards, black over-fenders, side cladding, roof rails, a rear spoiler, 17-inch alloy wheels and a Bose audio system.

It launched in the Philippines on 16 October 2023 with the Hyundai Custin, and in Thailand on 26 September 2023, with an official launch on 4 October 2023. Thailand updated it on 26 March 2024 with X6 six-seat and X7 seven-seat versions. The Cartenz X reached Indonesia on 23 July 2025, and the Philippines got the facelifted X on 14 October 2025. Malaysia launched the X on 22 September 2026, and Brunei on 28 August 2026.

Where else is the Stargazer sold?

Brunei launched it on 5 May 2023 in High (seven-seat) and Premium (six-seat) variants, adding a seven-seat Standard in July 2023. The Philippines followed on 8 November 2022 with GL, GLS and GLS Premium grades, and a Captain Seats option previewed in April 2023 reached dealers on 16 October 2023.

Thailand saw it on 30 November 2022 at the Thailand International Motor Expo, and sales began on 20 March 2023. Five versions were offered: Trend, Style, Smart 7, Smart 6 and Smart 6 Black Roof. Vietnam launched it on 20 October 2022, at first imported from Indonesia, with local production beginning in 2023. The Gulf states followed in May 2024.

Malaysia saw a preview at the 2026 Kuala Lumpur show in June and a launch on 22 September 2026, with cars fully imported from Indonesia in Style and Prime grades.

What is the Hyundai Alcazar?

The Alcazar is a long-wheelbase version of the Creta, with a third row, styling changes and a different powertrain choice. It was unveiled on 8 April 2021 and released on 18 June 2021. The wheelbase grows by 150 mm (5.9 in) to 2,760 mm (108.7 in), and the body is 200 mm (7.9 in) longer, enough for seven seats, or six with captain seats. It also has a reworked front end and larger 18-inch wheels.

How was the Alcazar updated?

Hyundai gave the Indian car a minor facelift in March 2023, for the 2023 model year, with an auto start-stop system, styling tweaks and six airbags, and swapped the 2.0-litre petrol for a 1.5-litre T-GDI turbo. The 1,482 cc engine makes 160 PS (158 hp; 118 kW) and 253 N-m (187 lb-ft), which is 8 PS and 61 Nm more than the outgoing unit.

A fuller facelift was unveiled on 22 August 2024 and launched in India on 9 September 2024. It brought a new grille, new front and rear fascias, full-width LED lighting, a 10.25-inch touchscreen like the Creta's, premium upholstery, ambient lighting and advanced driver-assistance features. Executive, Prestige, Platinum and Signature are the variants, with seven seats standard and a six-seat captain-seat layout available on Platinum and Signature. Before that, India listed six variants, each Prestige, Platinum and Signature appearing with and without the (O) option pack.

What engines does it have?

Originally a 2.0-litre petrol with a claimed 9.5 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h, and a 1.5-litre diesel, each with a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic. From the March 2023 update the Indian petrol is the 1.5-litre T-GDI turbo.

What is the Alcazar called in other countries?

Mexico sells it as the Creta Grand, launched on 14 October 2021 in GLS Premium and Limited trims with a 2.0-litre MPI petrol engine, and the facelift went on sale on 6 March 2025 as a 2026 model.

The Middle East received the Creta Grand in January 2023 with the 2.0-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel in Smart, Comfort and Ultimate trims, and the facelift on 21 January 2025. South Africa launched it as the Grand Creta on 23 March 2022 in Executive and Elite trims, with a 2.0-litre MPI petrol or a 1.5-litre CRDi turbodiesel. The facelift on 8 May 2025 is sold there as the Alcazar and has three variants instead of five.

The three Hyundais compared

Which markets have the Stargazer and Alcazar facelifts reached?

The Stargazer facelift is still working its way around Southeast Asia. After Indonesia in July 2025 it reached the Philippines on 14 October 2025, then Thailand on 16 March 2026 as Trend 6 and Smart 6, and Vietnam on 24 March 2026 as the Special Edition and Premium Edition. Malaysia and Brunei followed with the Stargazer X in 2026.

The Alcazar facelift has been rolling out as well: the Middle East in January 2025, Mexico in March 2025 and South Africa in May 2025.