Launch of the Hyundai Santro India 2018 by October: Report

It's no longer a secret that Hyundai is working on a brand new small car. Called "Family Design Concept" for the moment, the new Santro is expected to bridge the narrow gap between the Eon and the Grand i10 in the Hyundai India product portfolio.

Hyundai has not yet announced the name of the car while several reports have confirmed The South Korean automaker will bring back the iconic Santro nameplate for its new car. The company is also unobtrusive about launch times while a report in Zigwheels claims entry into the market in October. According to the report, there is a good chance that Hyundai India can make its debut on September 23, since this date marks the 20th anniversary of the original Santro.

Launched in 1998 and abandoned in 2015, the Santro was the car that helped Hyundai set foot in India. The tallboy design was that of the original Santro USPs which ensured easy entry and exit. The spy photos of the new model indicate that the new Santro will also contain the tallboy design.

On the design front, the new Santro will showcase the design philosophy of Hyundai Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 and should get a new cascading grille, fog lights, alloy wheels, rear view camera and LED taillights.

According to the spy images, the interior of the new Santro will feature a black finished plastic dashboard. There are silver keys around the center console and the shifter. The test mules with a three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and the dashboard consist of a speedometer and a tachometer. The door panels of the car and the a-pillar in the beige finish while the front seats come with fixed headrests wrapped in two-tone upholstery.

The new Santro is expected to use the 1086 cc petrol mill that powered the i10, Hyundai will rework the engine to make it BS-VI compatible, as the standard comes into force in April 2020. The plant is expected to develop nearly 70 horsepower and 100 Nm of torque. In addition, a new 1.2-liter gasoline engine developing 85 horsepower is also being announced with the new Santro while Hyundai is not planning to introduce a diesel engine.Outside the five-speed manual transmission, the new sedan can also receive automated manual transmission.

2018 Hyundai Santro should be sold between Rs 3 and 5 lakh. point, it will be a convincing case against Renault Kwid, Tiago Tiago, Maruti Suzuki Celerio and others under five lakh cars in India.