New Hyundai Santro bags 28,000 bookings in just 22 days!

The all-new Hyundai Santro is seeing big demand. The recently launched hatchback has managed to bag no less than 28,000 orders in just 22 days from when bookings were opened. The car was launched last week, with prices starting from Rs. 3.89 lakhs. It competes with the likes of the Maruti WagonR and the Tata Tiago, and sits above the Hyundai Eon in terms of positioning.

The new Santro is based on the previous generation Hyundai i10 platform, and also shares the 1.1 liter-4 cylinder petrol engine with the former. While this motor makes more power and torque 68 Bhp-99 Nm, than its biggest rival – the Maruti WagonR, claimed fuel efficiency is markedly lower at 20.3 Kmpl. The car gets 5 speed manual and AMT options. The in-house developed AMT unit features electric actuators, instead of mechanical units. The engine also gets a CNG option, and in CNG trim makes 58 Bhp-77 Nm.

The new Santro offers a range of segment leading features. A touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is offered on the top-end Asta trim while a rear AC blower is available across all trims. These are the two main segment leading features of the car, which gets a driver airbag and ABS as standard across trims. The top-end trim adds a passenger airbag and a reverse parking camera.

In typical Hyundai style, the all-new Santro features beige-black dual tone interiors that give this budget car a premium touch. The interior design is fresh, and Hyundai even sells a funky variant with green highlights on the inside. The outsides of the car also get a fresh design, with Hyundai’s cascading grille up front and a kink on the windowline. Overall, the design is quite busy and purists may find the car overstyled while most others will find it funky and fresh. All in all, initial demand for the Santro has been high. It’ll be interesting to see if the latest hatchback manages to sustain this high initial demand.