Hyundai Santro bookings halted

Hyundai newest car in the market, the Santro has been the centre of attraction in the affordable hatch category. The Santro was launched on 23rd of October this year and the bookings for the car were open since the day of press unveil, that is,10th of October, 2018.

However, Hyundai has now stopped taking any further booking of  the car as bookings have crossed the production capacity.

The company has received around 32,000 bookings for the new Santro, which is actually a big number for any car in such a short amount of time. With waiting periods already going over three moths, Hyundai has decided to better stop taking bookings of the car for the time being. The Santro name made a comeback after 6 years and bookings had already touched the figure of nearly 15,000 even before the launching took place. Some of the reasons for its success can be attributed to its segment leading features and quality interiors, along with an economical price point.

The Santro replace the Eon in Hyundai’s India lineup but has been positioned higher than it. Going by the company’s figures, almost one in every three units sold is an automatic version. Also, CNG comprises of nearly 21 percent of all the total bookings and sale. Till date, more than 8,000 Santro hatchbacks have been rolled out of the plant but the Chennai based plant is unable to meet the huge upsurge in demand.

Talking of the Santro, the car was named so after an online poll was held to let people decide what it would be called. The name Santro came about to be as the favorite among the masses and also marked a return of the original ‘Tall boy car’. The car gets  powered by a 1.1-litre petrol engine which produces 68 Bhp of power and 99 Nm of torque, while returning a mileage of 20.3 km/l. The CNG variant is low on power but offers a great fuel economy of 30.48 km/kg. The engines are mated to either a 5-speed AMT gearbox or a standard 5-speed manual.

The strong sales of the Hyundai Santro have had a big impact on its direct competitors. Rivals like the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R and Tata Tiago saw a decline in sales with the Wagon R reaching a 16 month low in October. The shift in sales makes it clear that buyers are now choosing wisely and manufacturers need to up their game to stay in the competition.