2018 Hyundai Santro India launch by October: Report

Hyundai Motor India Limited is reportedly in the final stages of bringing back the iconic Santro nameplate with a new small car. The new hatchback is expected to fill the void left by the discontinuation of the i10.

It's not a secret anymore that Hyundai is working on an all-new small car. Called 'Family Design Concept' for now the new Santro is expected to fill the narrow gap between the Eon and the Grand i10 in Hyundai India's product portfolio.

Hyundai is yet to announce the name of the car while multiple reports have confirmed the South Korean carmaker will bring back the iconic 'Santro' nameplate for its new car. The company is also tight-lipped about the launch timeframe while a report in Zigwheels claims market entry by October. The report claims there are high possibilities that Hyundai India may make the debut of new Santro on September 23 since that date marks the 20th anniversary of the original Santro.

Hyundai Santro — Hyundai discontinued the orignal Santro in 2015PR handout

Launched in 1998 and discontinued in 2015, the Santro was the car that helped Hyundai to set foot in India. The tallboy design was the one of the USPs of the original Santro that ensured easy ingress and egress. Spy shots of the new model so far indicate the new Santro will also feature tallboy design.

On the design front, the new Santro will feature Hyundai's Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design philosophy and is expected to get new cascading front grille, fog lamps, alloy wheels, reverse camera and LED tail lamps.

According to the spy images, the new Santro's interior will feature plastic dashboard finished in black. There are silver touches around the centre console and gear lever. The test mules spotted with three-spoke multi-function steering wheel and the instrument cluster consists of a speedometer and tachometer. The car's door panels and a-pillar in the beige finish while front seats come with fixed headrests wrapped in dual-tone upholstery.

New Hyundai Santro may feature a design in line with the ix20.Hyundai

The new Santro is expected to use the 1086cc petrol mill that powered the i10. Hyundai will rework the engine to make it BS-VI compliant, because the standard comes into effect in April 2020. The mill is expected to develop nearly 70bhp of power and 100Nm of torque. In addition, a 1.2-liter petrol mill developing 85bhp is also rumoured with the new Santro while Hyundai has no plan to introduce a diesel engine. Apart from the five-speed manual transmission, the new hatchback may also get Automated Manual Transmission (AMT).

2018 Hyundai Santro is expected to be priced between Rs 3 and 5 lakh. At that price point, it will be a compelling case against Renault Kwid, Tata Tiago, Maruti Suzuki Celerio and others sub five lakh cars in India.