Hyundai Santro Discontinued — No Replacement Planned | V3Cars

17 May 2022
By Amit Saraswat
0

As per the latest report, Hyundai India have pulled the plug on their entry-level hatchback, the Santro. Hyundai have shut down production of the Santro owing to rising costs and falling demand.

Hyundai launched the 2nd generation Santro in 2018. However, it failed to match the cult following enjoyed by the 1st-gen Santro, which was launched back in 1998. The 1st-gen Santro helped the brand establish itself in the challenging Indian 4-wheeler market. As per reports, Hyundai sold around 1.5 lakh units of the 2nd-gen Santro and its average sales hovered in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 units a month.

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While Hyundai have blamed rising input costs as a major factor behind the move to discontinue the Santro, the lack of demand for entry-level hatchbacks and stiffer competition in the segment are likely to have played a role too. Since the launch of the 2nd-gen Santro, the prices saw a hike of 20-30%. Before its discontinuation, the Santro range was priced from Rs. 5.7 lakh whereas its launch price was Rs. 3.9 lakh back in 2018. Similarly, the Santro top-spec variant was announced at Rs. 5.5 lakh whereas the same today costs Rs. 7 lakh ex-showroom.

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Going further, we do not expect Hyundai to replace the Santro with a new generation hatchback. However, Hyundai are said to be working on a small SUV to go up against the Tata Punch and Maruti Nexa Ignis. The details of the upcoming small SUV are scarce at this stage. We expect it to carry design cues from the Casper SUV, which is already on sale in the South Korean markets.

Also Read: April 2022 Cars Sales Analysis - A-Segment Hatchback YoY, MoM Change

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amit Saraswat

Born and brought up in Agra, he grew up reading magazines more than textbooks. With a keen interest in cars, he decided to make his future in automotive journalism and is currently helping in content at V3Cars.