Hyundai Santro Bids Farewell to India

Hyundai, the Korean automaker, started its journey in India with the Santro in the year 1998. The car has been a runaway success for the company since then, and continues to be among the top-selling models for Hyundai. However, the company believes that the vehicle has reached the end of its life cycle, and it is time to bid farewell to its beloved product. Hyundai Santro's production end will also free up capacity for manufacturing other vehicles.

While models like Maruti Suzuki 800 and Zen revolutionised the Indian automobile industry, the Hyundai Santro took it to another level because of the aspirational value associated with it. As a result, the Santro is still Hyundai's most popular model, and though the company is discontinuing the Santro, the existing owners will continue to get parts & service support from the carmaker.

In its 16 years of existence, the Santro received its first major update in 2003. That year, along with a new nomenclature - the Santro Xing - the car also received a new 1.1-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine, capable of churning out a maximum power output of 62bhp. The first-generation Santro (1997-2003) had a 1.0-litre engine.