Hyundai Motor India will reportedly discontinue its entry-level model, the Eon and replace it with a new small car, codenamed AH2 which will go on sale before Diwali (November 2018). The AH2 is the codename for the upcoming new Santro which, as reported earlier, will go on sale in October 2018.
The Eon is also being discontinued because it isn’t compliant with the upcoming safety (from October 2019) and emission norms (from April 2020). Speaking to Mint, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that Hyundai India has already notified its parts vendors about the plans.
The sources said, “It is confirmed that the Eon will be discontinued and some suppliers have also been told that the product will be available for just a year. This is also a very prudent decision by a successful company like Hyundai since Eon will not be to stand the new crash norms. So, they are replacing it with a better product which will adhere to all the new norms.”
Stopping the production of Eon will allow Hyundai to have more capacity at its plants for the new product. Apart from the new Santro (AH2), Hyundai also plans to introduce a micro SUV although that product will take a long time to arrive.
As reported earlier, Hyundai has already previewed a pre-production version of the upcoming Santro to select customers as part of a survey. The next-generation Santro will feature large headlamps with fog lights placed under the primary illuminator while the tail will get “bulky” lights and dual-tone rear bumpers with black inserts. Other exterior features include pull-up type door handles, electric ORVMs with integrated turn signals and a rear wiper.
Spy images of the interiors of the vehicle revealed dual tone theme of black and beige, three spoke steering wheel with steering mounted audio controls, a black dashboard, silver trims for the centre console and gear lever, fixed head-rests for the seats, and power windows with their controls located behind the gear lever.
Mechanical specifications are scarce at the moment although the upcoming new Santro is expected to be powered by the 1.0-litre Kappa petrol motor (most likely tuned to be compliant to BS-VI emission norms) which is seen on the Hyundai Eon. An 800cc petrol motor could also be offered.
We’re yet to hear an official announcement. Stay tuned.
Source: Mint