New Hyundai Santro (AH2) Production To Focus On Indian Market, Exports To Begin In 2019

The arrival of the New Hyundai Santro (AH2) hatchback is just around the corner and after sharing a host of details and Hyundai's plans for the car; we can now also confirm that the Indian market will remain the key focus for the upcoming hatchback. According to sources at Hyundai, the company will export the AH2 from India from 2019 and initially will only focus to meet the domestic demand. Moreover, it will only be exported in limited numbers in order to prioritize the domestic demand. Hyundai is set to unveil the AH2 on October 9 when we'll also get to know its official name soon, but it will most likely be called Santro. In one of our earlier reports, we also confirmed that Hyundai will start accepting the pre-bookings of the Santro from October 10 which will close just a day before its scheduled launch which is on October 23.

Hyundai Santro Being Tested on Indian Roads

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The AH2 will replace the Eon in Hyundai's line-up to become the Korean carmaker's entry level segment car. In a bid to meet the upcoming crash test norms of October 2020, Hyundai has built the AH2 on its more robust HA platform on which the i10 was underpinned. This also means that it will get dual airbags, ABS and rear parking sensors in advance. Moreover, Hyundai has also made the AH2 a bit more up-market compared to the Eon and the interiors of the car are expected to be a tad premium and will come with features like a touchscreen infotainment system, especially seen on the top-spec variants.

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In terms of mechanicals, the AH2 under its hood will have a 1.1-litre, four-cylinder motor that is also likely to get the option of an AMT gearbox which will be a first for Hyundai. In the Indian market, the AH2 will lock horns with Maruti Suzuki's Celerio and WagonR, Tata Tiago and even the Renault Kwid 1.0.