Hyundai Santro

Santro to make a comeback in a new avatar, Maruti planning an Alto tallboy too

Hyundai Santro

Hyundai is planning to bring back the Santro to India in a new avatar. A new version of the ‘original tallboy’ that planted the Korean brand’s roots strongly enough in the subcontinent to make it the second largest car maker in the country is apparently under development right now. The Korean carmaker is working on the re-imagined Santro in its South Korean HQs. The development has been brought to light by TOI which is citing its ‘vendor contacts’ as the source of the news.

It’s notable that even after being one of the strongest sellers in the economy hatchback segment, the Santro was discontinued in a phased manner after the advent of the i10, which was followed up by an even more modern and contemporary Grand i10. With a step up in features, design and space, the Grand i10 was priced considerably higher, leaving a gap between the super affordable Eon and itself. Also notable is the fact that the tallboy design which was so popular in its segment owing to the sense of space it radiated doesn’t have any representation in Hyundai’s current portfolio. That space is comfortably taken up by the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R. Hyundai realizes that it’s a segment it can capitalize on, and working hard to create a product that defined the segment.

The Korean company also asserts that the brand recall for Santro is still very strong. Apparently a good number of customers are still looking for the Santro when they visit Hyundai showrooms for inquiries. It’s obvious that the company would like to build upon the brand which left such an indelible mark on the customers mind. If executed well, the new Santro as an idea does sound to have the potential of creating a new success story for the brand.

But it’s not just Hyundai which is planning a new tallboy model. Arch nemesis Maruti Suzuki is also creating another of the tallboys under the Alto brand, if the reports are to be believed. Knowing that the Alto is the brand’s entry level model, we can expect the new tallboy from Maruti to be an economical to own and frugal to run product too.

Even with the advent of new, smarter looking and feature rich products in the market, the entry level segment remains the most sought after one, a fact underlined by the advent of new products such as the Renault KWID and the upcoming Datsun Redi-Go. India’s low car density means that there’s ample scope for growth in the sub-urban and rural markets for small, affordable cars. For all of us who thought that the battle was decisively shifting towards the premium hatchback and entry level compact sedan segments, these developments should be extremely interesting to observe and follow up on.

What’s your opinion? Would you like to see a re-imagined tallboy Santro on the market? Or has the world moved ahead? Do let us know your thoughts – we love your comments.

1 thought on “Santro to make a comeback in a new avatar, Maruti planning an Alto tallboy too”

  1. Yogesh SAXENA

    Sandro from Hyundai* welcome back to Indian roads. Features are OK but total cosmetic change with new aggressive bodyline is must.

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