NEW DELHI/CHENNAI: Hyundai’s iconic Santro is all to make a comeback in the Indian market, with the Korean automobile major unveiling its new avatar on Tuesday. For many aspirational Indian car lovers, it was the Hyundai Santro that first introduced them to a vehicle boasting globally competitive features, at an affordable rate.
Launched in 1999, at a time when Indian roads and its car markets were ruled by Maruti Suzuki’s 800, Zen and Omni, and Hindustan Motors’ classic Ambassador, the small five-seater car became an instant hit. Signing on Shahrukh Khan as brand ambassador also gave it an edge which it managed to maintain for years.
The next few years saw the Korean carmaker edge out other leading carmakers like Tata Motors, Ford, GM and others, and pose a serious challenge to Maruti Suzuki. However, the company discontinued the Santro 16 years after its launch in India, choosing to focus on its other small cars — Eon and i10.
However, the Santro will roll out on Indian roads nearly 20 years after its initial launch. According to the company, the car will be formally launched on October 10, with pre-booking available from October 10 at Rs 11,000 for the first 50,000 customers. Bookings at dealerships will commence with the official launch.
The car is expected to debut at a starting price tag of below `4 lakh, though the company has not revealed the exact prices yet. The new Santro gets a new 1.1-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine which delivers 69PS of power and 99Nm of torque.
It comes mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and the company will also offer an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) option. Another option will be a factory fitted CNG fuel kit which offers 59PS of power and 84Nm of torque.According to YK Koo, Managing Director, Hyundai Motor India, the company has poured in significant resources into the new car’s development.
“The company has spent more than $100 million in development of the new Santro in the past three years,” he said, adding that Hyundai expects sales of around 8,000 to 10,000 units a month. A little less than a third of those sales are expected to be from the AMT variants in new Santro’s volumes, especially in cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Flaunting its muscles
The new Santro gets a new 1.1-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine which delivers 69PS of power and 99Nm of torque, is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and will also offer AMT options.