News regarding Hyundai bringing the Santro back to life in India has been around for quite some time. Camouflaged testing units were also spotted several times already and now for the first time, the all-new Santro has been spied undisguised.
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This will be Santro’s second entry in the Indian market as the first generation, like Pakistan, was quite successful in Indian market during the previous decade. In its final few years in Indian market, the Santro had become a popular option as a taxi, and was still selling close to 30,000 units per year when Hyundai made the decision to discontinue its production.
Getting back to the new Santro, images of the partially covered car at a dealership, shows swept back headlamps up front and Hyundai’s latest cascading grille surrounded by chrome in a bid to boost the premium appeal of the car. In addition high mounted fog lamps on a blacked out casing are prominent features of the new Santro’s face.
At the back, the new Hyundai Santro gets a wide tailgate with smaller tail lights. It also gets a large rear windshield along with a rear wiper as well as the reversing camera that’s placed between the Hyundai emblem and tailgate key opener. The license plate holder is located at the rear bumper.
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Interior of the new Santro looks a lot premium and comes with dual tone beige and black interior and upholstery. The dashboard features a 7″ touchscreen infotainment system with large vertically mounted air-con vents on either side. There are circular vents at far ends reminding us of the classic Santro that we have seen here.
The lower part of the center console, houses radial AC control knobs and a perched-up gear lever, having some buttons behind it which could be power windows and lock/unlock switches. On the features front, the car is expected to get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, steering mounted controls and possibly a smart MID unit.
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The all-new Santro is expected to get a new 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine as well as AMT (automated manual transmission) option alongside the manual gearbox. The new Hyundai Santro will compete against the likes of Tata Tiago and Maruti Suzuki Celerio in the Indian market.
During the previous decade, Hyundai Santro under Dewan’s umbrella have seen some successful time in Pakistan, however it is yet to be seen if the South Korean manufacturer intends to sell the Santro only in India, or it will make its way to other markets including Pakistan.
Stay tuned to CarSpiritPK for more updates on the all-new Hyundai Santro.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
