Almost twenty years after the first time our market got the Santro, a tall boy hatchback, it is set to make its comeback in a couple of hours today. We have followed the car for quite some time and the day is here. We will keep giving you live updates of the car directly from Chennai, where the event is taking place.
Update 1: The event has started and we see the car parked on stage with a cover. A Hyundai commercial is seen playing on the screen.
Update 2: Hyundai Naamkaran promo video was played after which Ravi Sharma, Head of Marketing and PR takes the dais. A response video of the Naamkaran campaign is being played. Over five entries were received for the Naamkaran campaign.
Update 3: The stage is taken over by Y K Koo, MD and CEO, Hyundai India who talks about the first Santro, 20 years of Hyundai – milestones and achievements. The new Santro codenamed AH2 will be modern, stylish with customer-centric safety, tall boy design and peace of mind.
Update 4: The car is named the All New Santro. Retaining its iconic name while also informing buyers that it is not the same old car anymore. The stage is taken over by Mr Vignesh R from the RnD team, to talk about the technical details.
Update 5: The All New Santro gets modern styling, tall seating, spacious cabin, good headroom, high seating, practical ergonomics, touchscreen infotainment system, and wide powertrain options. Hyundai claims to offer the best n class shoulder room with generous legroom and the rear seat gets enhanced thigh support and a flat bench to accommodate three passengers. The infotainment screen is a 7-inch touchscreen unit which gets Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Mirror Link connectivity.
Update 6: The car gets a 1.1-litre petrol engine which develops 69 hp of power. Hyundai has focussed on safety and the car gets a strong body for that reason. Hyundai also focussed on keeping NVH levels as low as possible. Suspension duties are done by Front McPherson strut with stabilizer bar up front and a rear couple torsion beam in the rear.
Update 7: A standard 3 years/100000 km warranty is offered with the car. The AC is a 135 cc unit which claims to be class leading and the car also gets rear AC vents, a segment first feature. The car will also offer CNG kits from the factory with an 8-kilogram cylinder. The interior follows a black-beige dual tone scheme and the centre console design is inspired by an elephant.
Update 8: The car will also be offered with an AMT option, the new gearbox is the first OE developed AMT in India. Called the Smart Auto AMT, it offers a creep function which Hyundai claims is better than rivals, with more smoothness and has been tested extensively.
Update 9: Y K Koo takes the covers off the car. We see bulb headlamps and no DRLs are visible. Turn indicators are mounted on the side view mirrors. There are angular cuts present on the bumpers and a curvy bonnet. Overall the car looks very practical but not stylish in the light Golden shade. We see the headrests are not adjustable. Puneet Group Head Marketing takes the stage.
Update 10: There may be a touchscreen unit inside the car but the AC controls feel very outdated. There is an old style sliding knob for the recirculation selection and the AC vents themselves are inspired by an aircraft turbine. The power window switches are located behind the gear knob in the centre. Steering mounted controls are present and the rear AC vent gets adjustable flow control. Has a rearview camera and rear parking sensors.
Update 11: The car is locked so we can not get inside the car, on the side Hyundai offers 14-inch wheels with Hankook Kinergy 165/70 tyres. The rear seat can be dropped but is not flat and no split option as well. The rear window is sharply angled to the right and the rear gets a wiper and washer with a high stop lamp. The bumper grille has 5 slats in black plastic.
Update 12: You get a 12 Volt power socket and one USB beneath the centre console. The mirrors are power operated and there is space for one bottle in both front and rear doors. The Instrument console has semi-circular tacho with the speedo on its right and then a small square MID on the extreme right. The rear passengers miss out on power sockets.