NEW DELHI: Almost four years after it decided to put a break on production of its Santro model, Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) has now brought back the country’s favourite small car in a new avatar. Priced at Rs 389,900 that goes up to Rs 5,64,900 for the CNG variant, the car retains its unique tall boy design, but has gone through a complete exterior and interior makeover.
With the all new Santro, the Korean carmaker is aiming to regain its market share in the small car segment. “The segment sells around 30,000 units a month and initially, we have set a target to sell 8,000-9,000 units a month. This means that we are eyeing 30 per cent share in the segment in the coming months,” HMIL managing director and CEO Y K Koo said.
The company has positioned Santro above its Eon model and below the Grand i10. Koo agrees that Santro could marginally eat up sales of the other two models, but maintained that the new car is designed to meet the needs of Indian families who seek space, comfort, safety and style, with a low ownership cost. Koo said the advanced bookings have touched over 23,500 units in 13 days.
The 1,100-cc engine Santro comes in petrol and compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel variants. The petrol variant claims to offer a mileage of 20.3 km per litre, while the CNG trim offers a mileage of 30.48 km per kg. The car boasts of advanced active and passive safety with standard features like ABS with EBD and dual front air bags.
The new Santro also comes at an important time in Hyundai’s two-decade-old journey in India. In recent years, the company moved its focus towards the premium segment and the absence of a mass volume-generating car like Santro took a hit on its overall market share, which is now at 15.7 per cent. In the meantime, cars like Maruti Suzuki’s WagonR, Renault’s Kwid and Tata’s Tiago became a favourite among buyers. Hyundai will now have to compete with established players to make the kind of impact it made two decades ago.