Before the end of this year, somewhere around November, Hyundai India will stop producing the one little car that made us look away from the Maruti 800, way back in 1998. It’s called the Santro, and after 16 long years, Hyundai will soon pull the plug on it. The final batch of Santros will roll out of the assembly line in the last week of November, while in other news, GM India is expected to end production of their popular Spark hatchback in December as well, said people with knowledge of their plans. Admittedly, these cars have reached the end of their tether- we’re not quite sure of the Spark, but the Santro genuinely has.
Since its launch in October 1998, Hyundai has sold more than 1.36 million Santros in India and exported another 5,35,000 units to South Korea, Europe and the US. GM India has sold over 1,65,000 units of the Spark in seven years of its stay in India. Despite being overshadowed by newer models in the Hyundai portfolio, the Santro is still selling an average 2,900 units a month. Hyundai says the discontinuation of the Santro will free up more space in the plant to make way for more models in the future. No word yet on why the Spark is being axed though, or what follows next.
Source: ETAuto