The Santro was arguably the first ever car in India with tallboy design launched in 1998 and it helped the South Korean carmaker to set foot in India. Though the company has wrapped up the production of Santro in 2014, the name has an emotional connection to India.
That is the reason why when Hyundai conducted a crowdsourcing for a name to its upcoming car, the Santro nameplate emerged on top with over 60 percent votes. The company has finally named the new car as Santro.
Hyundai Motor India Limited has also revealed two images of the new Santro and the new small car will enter the market on October 23. Hyundai will start online booking for the 2018 Santro from October 10 (Wednesday) for a token amount of Rs 11,000 for the first 50,000 customers.
2018 Hyundai Santro- design
Carrying the legacy of the original model, the 2018 Santro also has a tall-boy stance. Santro gets Hyundai's new signature cascading grille with a chrome outline. Housed on the front bumper, the grille section gets black internals and also extends to the fog lamp enclosures. The peeled back styled headlamps look large and it connects the bonnet and front fender in the top section.
The side of the car has a striking resemblance of the previous generation i10 hatchback. Meanwhile, creases at both front and rear wheels and a kink in the window line add a modern touch. Hyundai is yet to reveal the picture of the rear while leaked images suggest wraparound taillights, wide windscreen and the number plate that is housed on the rear bumper.
2018 Hyundai Santro- interior and features
Hyundai is yet to reveal the images of the Interior while the company confirms the cabin will get dual-tone beige and black upholstery, lower NVH levels, a powerful AC with a 135cc compressor, an idol keeping space on the dash and rear AC vents.
The highlight will be 7.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Voice recognition and mirror link feature. The touchscreen will also act as a display for reverse parking camera offered in higher spec-models.
The range-topping Asta trim on the Santro will boast features such as rear wash, wipe and defogger, electric mirrors and windows, ORVM mounted blinkers, front fog lamps, 165/70 R14 tyres and others.
2018 Hyundai Santro- engine and underpinnings
2018 Hyundai Santro will draw power from a 1.1litre in-line four-cylinder petrol engine that develops 67bhp of power and 99Nm of torque. Apart from the manual transmission option, new Santro will be the first Hyundai car in India to get AMT transmission. Hyundai will also offer the new Santro with a factory fitted CNG option. Hyundai claims a fuel efficiency of 20.3kmpl for the petrol and 30.5km/kg for CNG variants.
Hyundai claims the body structure of the new Santro is more rigid with 63 percent advanced high strength steel. The car comes equipped with McPherson Struts at the front with stabilizer bars mounted on the struts. The new Santro will also flaunt ABS, EBD and driver side airbag as standard across the trims.
2018 Hyundai Santro – price
Hyundai Motor India Limited is tightlipped about the pricing of the new Santro. We expected the prices will start around Rs 3.60 lakh and will go up to Rs 5.40 lakh for the top-of-the-line variant.
