2018 Hyundai Santro spied ahead of Auto Expo reveal

That Hyundai is working on a low cost hatchback to take on the Maruti Suzuki Alto and Renault Kwid is no secret. It could very well be called the new Hyundai Santro, given the phenomenal success the model brought to Hyundai, eons ago (pun intended!). The Hyundai Eon only managed to garner a lukewarm response, though the Santro was pretty much the car that established Hyundai in India. The new generation Hyundai Santro (codenamed Hyundai AH internally) is expected to be revealed to the world at the upcoming 2018 Auto Expo aka Delhi Motor Show and has been spied testing.

The 2018 Hyundai Santro seems to continue with the original's tall boy design

The images of the test car, which is camouflaged as expected, do not reveal much about the design but do tell us Hyundai will go with the Santro's characteristic 'tallboy' design once again, while windows get large glass panels and the rear window and C-pillar even looks slightly similar to the  Hyundai i10's. Pictures also reveal that the car is running wheel caps on steel rims and not alloy wheels, which confirm the 'low cost' idea. While there is no official confirmation yet, we expect the new Hyundai Santro to be powered by 800cc and 1.0-litre petrol engines, pretty much the norm in the segment. Hyundai is expected to offer automatic and AMT versions as well, given the increasing popularity of automatics. We expect the new Hyundai Santro to be launched within the first half of 2018 and be priced in the 2.5 lakh to 4.5 lakh rupee price bracket. Given Hyundai's penchant for offering features, we also expect the new Hyundai Santro to come loaded with equipment.

The Santro was pretty much the hatchback that helped Hyundai become a household name

B-segment hatchbacks have made a comeback in the recent past, especially with Renault's Kwid offering stiff competition to Maruti Suzuki's evergreen Alto. Datsun has had a go at the segment with its redi-GO as well, but with little success. The Hyundai Santro though could prove to be a major fillip to Hyundai's bull charge. The Korean car maker has been doing well in all segments it is present in, right from hatchbacks to sedans to premium SUVs and success in the lowest segment of the Indian car market will only help it challenge its arch rival, Maruti Suzuki better.

Image source: Rushlane