2018 Hyundai Santro: Launch In October; Will Get AMT

Hyundai will hold a public contest to name the AH2 hatchback (codename) & ‘Santro’ will be on the list of options

Pictured: Hyundai Atos (Euro-spec Santro)

Hyundai will hold a public contest to name its upcoming hatchback codenamed the AH2. The month-long contest will start from August 16 and the final name will be revealed close to the launch of the hatchback in October 2018. The name ‘Santro’ will be on the list of options and the company expects the masses to choose it over the others.

The upcoming Santro will be placed below the Grand i10 in Hyundai’s portfolio. In fact, it will share around 20 per cent of its components with the Grand i10. The Santro will be the first product to be sold under Hyundai’s latest ‘Modern Premium’ philosophy which aims to offer a premium experience and enhanced value to customers.

The latest spy shots of the upcoming Santro suggest that it will feature a tallboy design like its predecessor. This should allow getting in and out of the cabin much easier than on a low-set hatchback, like the Alto for instance. The spiritual successor to the first-gen Santro (the first-ever Hyundai model in India) and the original i10 is expected to be styled along Hyundai’s latest Fluidic 2.0 design philosophy and will feature the trademark cascading grille.

The new Hyundai Santro will be available with a petrol engine coupled to a 5-speed manual as standard. The carmaker will also offer variants equipped with an indigenously-developed AMT (automated-manual transmission) as well. The new Santro will compete with the Tata Tiago, Maruti Suzuki Celerio and the all-new WagonR, which is expected to be launched soon. The new Hyundai Santro, which is expected to be priced from Rs 3.5 lakh, could cannibalise the sales of the Eon, which hasn’t received any updates since its introduction in October 2011. Could Hyundai replace the Eon with the Santro over time? Only time will tell.