2018 Hyundai Santro may launch in India soon to rival Renault Kwid: All you need to know

New Hyundai Santro will retain the tall-boy design of the original version that was launched in India in 1998 but with a modern twist.

Hyundai ix-Metro concept — New Hyundai Santro is expected to take inspiration from the ix-Metro conceptHyundai

The South Korean carmaker is rumored to bring back the Santro nameplate in India for a long time. Currently called the 'Family Design Concept,' the hatchback model has been spied multiple times in 2017 as well as 2018. Emerging reports indicate the new Santro will enter the market sooner than expected.

Hyundai India was initially reported to launch the 2018 Santro (codename AH2) during the festive season of 2018. Now a report in Cartoq claims the company has decided to advance the launch to August. Though there are specific reasons quoted, the move seems to be taken to capitalize on the increased sales during the festive season.

Expected to be slotted between the Eon and the Grand i10, the new Santro will replace the i10 in the market. The price is expected between Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh. At that price point, it will go up against the Renault Kwid, Tata Tiago and Maruti Suzuki Celerio and others.

2018 Hyundai Santro — Hyundai ix-Metro conceptHyundai

The new Santro will feature a tall-boy design in line with the original model launched in India in 1998. This will ensure easy ingress and egress while the hatchback will flaunt a large glasshouse at the front and rear. The front and rear doors will be larger than any of its rivals and the cabin will be spacious.

As it goes up against the Renault Kwid, new Santro will boast off an array of features. These will include a semi-digital display, driver-side airbag as standard, touch-screen infotainment system on the top-spec variant and ample storage spaces inside the cabin.

The new Santro will be based on the previous generation i10 hatchback and it is also expected to use 1086cc petrol mill that powered the i10. Hyundai will copiously rework the engine to make it BS-VI compliant that comes into effect in April 2020. The mill is expected to develop nearly 70bhp of power and 100Nm of torque.

In addition to the five-speed manual transmission, the new hatchback is also rumored to get Automated Manual Transmission (AMT). In that case, the new Santro will be the first Hyundai car to get AMT transmission.