The 2018 Hyundai Santro has been spotted testing for the first time in India.
The 2018 Hyundai Santro has been spied testing in India for the very first time. The company is yet to confirm the name of the small car as previously there had been reports that the upcoming small car is not likely to be given the Santro nameplate. Launched back in the late 1990s, the Santro had become a household name in the Indian market. After a 16 year run in the country, in 2015, Hyundai finally decided to pull the plug on the Santro brand in India.
According to sources, while the hatchback was registering sales of 2000-3000 units a month, it was also eating into the limited production capacity of Hyundai in India. As the company wanted to focus on premium segments, it decided to vacate the entry-level car segment. Leaving the Eon, the Creta-maker doesn’t have another entry-level car in its India line-up. Considering there is a substantial gap between Eon and the Grand i10, the Korean carmaker is working on a small car for India as well as international markets.
The upcoming small car will be positioned above the Eon and will rival the Renault Kwid, Maruti Alto and Tata Tiago. A test mule of the small car has been spotted on the Salem-Chennai highway in Tamil Nadu. Though the spotted car was camouflaged, it revealed its steel wheels with the wheel caps. Looking at the window glasses, the car seems to be the size of a Maruti Celerio. The hatchback is likely to be powered by an 800cc or 1.0-litre petrol motor. There have been reports that a 1.2-litre petrol engine could also be plonked in the upcoming small car.
The small car will also see the debut of Hyundai’s AMT technology. Expected to be launched in the second half of 2018, the vehicle could make its global debut at the 2018 Auto Expo.
2018 Hyundai Santro Replacement
– The upcoming Hyundai small car has been spied testing
– The Santro nameplate isn’t likely to be used on the upcoming small car
– Expected to be launched in the second half of 2018
Source – Rushlane.com
