New Delhi: There is a gradual shift happening with the Indian car buyer and that has got to do with the rise of SUVs. A perfect example is how Hyundai has stopped production of the Santro in India at its plant. The Santro was the most affordable Hyundai hatchback and was the second model to carry the iconic name.
The new Santro was launched in 2018 and actually did decent numbers with Hyundai positioning it as a premium offering within its segment. It came with features like a touchscreen at that time and it also had a smooth AMT gearbox. However, the arrival of the Hyundai Nios later made people switch to that with a bit more money.
Also, Indian car buyers are preferring more and more SUVs rather than entry-level hatchbacks with demand for high ground clearance cars increasing. Cars like the S-Presso from Maruti in turn have out-sold other smaller Maruti cars while lower variants of subcompact SUVs like Nissan Magnate also appeal to buyers.
It is a case where the buyer preferences are changing while Hyundai itself is seeing its Creta register sales which are much higher than its lesser-priced cars! The Santro has also been discontinued due to the fact that future emission norms would make it difficult to continue along with the recent Government order of 6 airbags in each car also means that the Santro had to be significantly updated in order to pass this new order.
Hence, the Santro had to be discontinued but in place of that, Hyundai is keen to expand its SUV portfolio with another smaller SUV below the Venue. Sign of the times!
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