The South Korean carmaker Hyundai will launch the all-new Santro by the end of 2018. The first sketch of this most awaited car has been released.
This car was first launched in 1998 and it became one of the most popular cars. It was more a household car and had become one of the most demanded cars in India. It was Santro that helped Hyundai make a name for itself in the vast Indian market. But, it was discontinued after 16 long years in 2014.
Hyundai recently released the first-ever official sketch of the new model soon to be launched by it. Although the name of the car is yet to be revealed, it is codenamed the AH2 hatchback. This model is likely to revive the 'Santro' nameplate.
The new compact hatchback will replace the i10 hatchback in Hyundai model line-up in India. This makes it a car that sits in between the Eon and the Grand i10. Hyundai has also revealed that the new car will be more spacious than the ones that have been launched previously in the same segment.
The Hyundai Santro will step up in style with the Hyundai’s latest cascading family grille. It will follow the same tallboy design scheme as in the previous versions. It is likely to have the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder engine. This car is expected to deliver close to 20 km/l of average fuel economy. The Santro 2018 will also be installed with the AMT (automated manual transmission) unit of Hyundai. It will be the first in its lot to have this upgrade.
This new launch will be set on roads giving a tough competition to the cars like Tata Tiago, Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Renault Kwid and the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, all of which are already equipped with the AMT variants. Renault Kwid has a 7 inch touchscreen infotainment system installed and WagonR is expected to get one soon. So it would be advisable that even the new Santro has the 5 inch touchscreen infotainment system as in Elantra facelift.
Features-
To make it a one of its kind car, it is expected that when it reaches the showrooms, it comes with the following features-
- Electrically Adjustable ORVMs
- Steering Mounted Controls
- Tilt Adjustable Steering Wheel
- Height Adjustable Driver’s Seat
- Automatic Climate Control
- Touchscreen Infotainment System
- Bluetooth Telephony
- Alloy Wheels
- LED Daytime Running Lights
Price-
The price of this dependable car is expected to be between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh.
Call it a PR strategy or a new marketing plan Hyundai recently started a contest in which it asked the Indians to suggest a name to this new beauty. So far 30 percent of the voters have suggested Santro as the name for the car.
It will be launched in India on 23rd October, 2018 keeping in mind the festive season in the country. Its first public debut is expected to happen in the Auto Expo 2018.
