All-new Hyundai Santro: EXCLUSIVE new details revealed

Hyundai is all set to officially showcase the new Santro hatchback on the 9th of October, 2018, followed by the  official launch on the 26th of October. The tall-boy hatchback will feature the Santro badge, and a suffix is  likely to be added to this name. The car will take on the vehicles, such as the Tata Tiago and Maruti Suzuki Celerio. Here are  exclusive new details about Hyundai’s latest entry-level offering.

Render courtesy IAB

There will be five variants on offer: Era, Magna, Sportz, Sportz (O) and Asta. The Era variant will be the base model, and prices are likely to start from Rs. 3.5 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. ABS and EBD will be standard across  variants while twin airbags will be standard from the Magna trim. Steering mounted audio controls will also be offered from the Magna trim.

Class-leading features on the new Santro will include rear AC vents and a five-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Clearly, Hyundai wants to position the new hatchback as a car that offers a bit more than the competition, in true-blue Hyundai fashion. The car will get alloy wheels from the Sportz (O) variant  upwards, while the lower variants will ride on steel wheels.

The new Santro will be powered by a new, 1.1-litre 4 cylinder petrol engine. This motor will get a 5-speed manual  gearbox as standard while a 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT) will be offered as an option. Notably, the new hatchback will be the first Hyundai car to offer an AMT, and this feature will soon make its way into multiple new budget Hyundai cars including the next-gen Grand i10 and the QXi code-named sub-4 meter compact SUV.

Bookings of the Santro will open from early October 2018, and Hyundai is expecting a big, festive season for the hotly anticipated car. The Santro badge is coming back to India after many years, and a lot of Hyundai car fans are said to be eagerly awaiting the brand new, tall-boy hatchback. While the new car will initially sell alongside the Eon, it’s likely to eventually replace the latter.