Hyundai Santro Cross: What the Tata Tiago NRG rival could look like

Hyundai is just days away from launching the all-new Santro hatchback in India. Bookings are already open, and  deliveries will begin from the 23rd of October, 2018. While the new Santro is a tall boy hatchback, a cross variant  of the car could be in the works for a launch in future. Here is Rushlane’s render that shows what the Hyundai Santro Cross could look like.

As the render indicates, the Santro Cross gets butch styling elements with cladding around the wheel arches and  flanks, a meatier front bumper, blacked out wing mirror housings and B-Pillar trim, and grille and headlamp inserts.  If Hyundai does put such a vehicle into production, expect enchanced ground clearance as well.

In recent times, the entry level hatchback segment has seen multiple cross variant getting launched. While the  Celerio X from Maruti was the first such model in this segment, Tata Motors followed suit with the Tiago NRG, which  was launched in India just a few weeks ago. The Tiago NRG is available only in higher trims, and at a considerable price premium when compared with the regular model.

Apart from visual changes and boosted ground clearance, the cross variants of the Celerio and Tiago are bog similar  to the regular model. This is likely to be the approach that Hyundai will take if it comes around to building a  Santro Cross.

What this also means is that the 1.1 liter-4 cylinder petrol engine of the Santro hatchback, making 68 Bhp-99 Nm,  will be retained, along with 5 speed manual and AMT options. The interiors and features offered by the Santro Cross  are also likely to be similar to the regular hatchback.

As for pricing, the Cross variant is likely to command a slight premium of Rs. 20,000-30,000 over the regular  variant. While Hyundai is yet to confirm such a model for the Indian market, don’t be surprised to see one getting  into production in a year or two.