Hyundai India has pretty much confirmed that its next hatchback code-named AH2 right now will be called Santro. The South Korean car-maker had announced a special Naamkaran contest to see what the consumers wanted the new car to be called, and as it turned out, more than 30 percent of the vote had gone to Santro.
The Hyundai Santro etched its image into the hearts of many entry-level car buyers, so much so that at one point of time, it was one of the top selling products after its introduction way back in 1997.
The Santro was discontinued in 2013, and will now be making a grand comeback in a taller and a wider body shell. This car will be replacing the Hyundai i10 and would compete against segment giants like the Maruti Suzuki Alto and even the Renault Kwid. The new Santro is expected to be priced between Rs 3 to 6 lakh.
Hyundai’s new hatchback does get a high roof, further fuelling speculations that this could very well be the next Santro. Going by the silhouette of the headlamps, the car seems to be sporting Hyundai’s latest design language.
The design (from whatever little we saw) borrows from the i10 Grand. According to Autocar India, Hyundai may use a differently tuned version of the Santro’s Epsilon petrol engine.
Rumours suggest that the new Santro could come with a 800 cc and 1-litre engine options mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. There is a possibility that an AMT (automated manual transmission) variant will be launched later since that seems to be a trend in entry-level cars these days.
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