South Korean auto major Hyundai has again discontinued its once popular hatchback Santro in India. According to reports, several factors like rising vehicle prices and poor demand from entry-level customers forced the company to discontinue the model.
The development comes close on the heels of the recent draft notification making it mandatory for M1 category vehicles (a motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers, comprising not more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat) to have 6 airbags.
The auto major had in 2018 relaunched Santro in a new avatar in India, with introductory prices ranging between Rs 3.89 and Rs 5.64 lakh (ex-showroom).
The company, which operates in the country through its wholly-owned subsidiary Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), had discontinued the previous Santro model in December 2014. The previous Santro was priced in the range of Rs 3.09- 4.15 lakh when it was discontinued.
The new Santro was powered by a four-cylinder 1.1-litre petrol engine. It came with automated manual transmission (AMT) and factory-fitted CNG fuel options. The engine was tuned to comply with the latest emission norms, offering better fuel efficiency.
Developed on a new K1 platform, the new Santro was bigger, wider and more spacious than the previous version. The company offered various new features including a rear parking camera, voice recognition, rear AC vents and eco coating technology, among others. It also offered a touch screen audio-video system, remote keyless entry and rear defogger, among others.
The car also had various safety features including, airbags, ABS with EBD impact sensing auto door unlock, rear parking sensors and speed sensing auto door lock.
The Santro was first rolled out from Hyundai's Chennai plant in September 1998 and the brand was the mainstay of the company in the Indian car market.
