New Hyundai Santro caught undisguised before October 9 unveil

The new Hyundai Santro (codename: AH2) was to get its official reveal on October 9 before going on sale on October 23. However, a new set of spy pics that show much of the car’s design have made their way on to the internet. The car seems to have been photographed at a Hyundai dealership.

The spied Santro, finished in a shade of red, is veiled only by a sheet on the bonnet and rear bumper. However, the pics reveal the basic design and styling rather clearly. There are sharply cut headlamps that sweep back towards the fenders, while Hyundai’s ‘cascading grille’ takes up prime real estate on the front bumper. The grille section is outlined with chrome and its black surround extends to the fog lamp enclosures. The bumper itself has prominent creases.

The new pictures don’t show the new Santro’s profile but spy images from before comfirm what we know already – the new Santro will have a 'tall boy' silhouette similar to the original. Styling at the rear is simple and is similar to what we’ve seen on the Hyundai Eon and Grand i10, with the number plate positioned on the bumper rather than on the tailgate. Small tail-lights should help give the tailgate a wide opening, while the large rear windshield should provide good visibility out the back. The model spotted also had a rear wiper and a high-set auxiliary brake lamp.

What the latest spy pictures also make clear is that the new Santro will be very well appointed on the inside. The cabin will sport a dual-tone look with a premium beige-on-black colour scheme. Also visible is the dashboard. The centre point of the dashboard is a 7.0-inch touchscreen that’s flanked by vertically oriented air-con vents. The vents on either end of the dash are circular units. Traditional knobs for the climate control system can be seen below the touchscreen.

The Santro will have its gear lever fairly high up, a la the i10 and Grand i10, making it easy to reach. The interior images reveal buttons below the gear lever which could possibly be the power window controls. Compiling all that we have learnt from spy pics so far, we know that the Santro will feature a segment-first reverse camera, while its touchscreen will also support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The new model promises to have the edge over rivals like the Maruti Suzuki Celerio and tata Tiago when talking features.

The Santro will be powered by Hyundai’s 1.1-litre Epsilon petrol engine that'll be mated to a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT, both of which are claimed to have a fuel efficiency figure of 20.1kpl. The Santro is the first Hyundai to feature an AMT gearbox, and while this transmission is not a segment-first, it will help Hyundai price an automatic version of the hatchback at a much more competitive level.

Hyundai will officially launch the Santro and reveal prices on October 23, 2018. Once launched, the Hyundai Santro will compete against the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Tata Tiago and the upcoming Datsun Go facelift.

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