New Hyundai Santro: Actual undisguised photo and render!

The return of the Hyundai Santro is undoubtedly one of the most talked about things in the automotive market. The legendary Santro is returning in an all-new avatar and we have seen multiple spy pictures of the car testing on the Indian roads. However, due to heavy camouflage, it is difficult to figure the vehicle’s actual design.

Well, that is over.

Yesterday, undisguised pictures of the all-new Hyundai Santro (its final name could have a suffix, as such Zing or Zip) have now leaked, and we are happy to bring them to you. Take a good look!

We asked our our rendering artist Vipin Vathoopan to create a render based on these spy photos, and you can see it here too. This is the closest that anyone has come to the official production version of the Santro. We would get to know when the car is unveiled by brand and we expect it to happen within the next one month.

Initial reactions? To some, the large grille at the front is a turn-off. But this is the Hyundai family signature grille, and it looks much better in the flesh. Also, remember that the spy photo is taken using the wide angle lens of a mobile phone, and that tends to make the front of the car (including the grille) look disproportionately largely. At the moment, we think that this new Santro looks like it would be the most premium-looking of the small hatches in the market. WagonR, Celerio, Kwid – all beware.

The Santro will be based on the discontinued i10 platform but Hyundai is expected to add a touch of modernity to it by adding the new family grille. However, the grille looks out of place in the Grand i10 and the Xcent so Hyundai may make it wider to give the Santro a dominating look. In the rendered image, the grille has been given a wide effect by positioning the fog lamps in the same enclosure.

The car is expected to get triangular headlamps with the signature Hyundai fluidic design element that will add the signature look to the vehicle. The Santro will be placed under the Grand i10 in the Indian market and will take on the likes of Maruti Celerio, Tata Tiago and the Renault Kwid. Eventually, it is expected to replace the Hyundai Eon from the market.

The Santro is expected to be powered by the 1.1-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that will churn out around 68 Bhp and 99 Nm. Seeing the popularity of AMT automatic transmission, the Santro is also expected to get it alongside the 5-speed manual transmission. There would not be a diesel engine in the line-up as it is not very popular in the segment. The all-new Santro is expected to be priced at around Rs. 3.5 lakhs and will be launched before Diwali to take the maximum advantage of the festive season that sees a rise in sales.