Hyundai is the second-largest car manufacturer of India in terms of sales figures. The manufacturer has a rich-lineup of cars to suit everyone’s need. However, it is only the premium segment where the carmaker is doing well as the entry-level segment seems to be a tough nut to crack for the manufacturer. Hyundai Santro is the car maker’s offering in the entry-level car segment. The Santro is a direct rival to Maruti WagonR, which happens to be leading the sales chart for quite some time now. The WagonR has registered itself a growth of 50%, while the Santro has suffered a sales drop of 54% on a year-on-year basis for the month of January.
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The difference between the sales figures for these cars is massive and there are a lot of reasons behind the WagonR’s success. The most prominent one being the Maruti’s low maintenance costs and after-sales and service network.
Hyundai has been offering the Santro with a 1.1L 4-cylinder engine with a peak power output of 69 PS and a max. torque output of 107 Nm. The transmission options offered with the car are – a 5-speed manual and a 5-speed AMT. On the other hand, Maruti is offering the WagonR with 2 different engine options. A 1.0L 3-cylinder motor with 68 PS and 90 Nm, and a 1.2L 4-cylinder engine with 83 PS and 113 Nm are offered with the WagonR. Also, the K-Series motors offered by Maruti are niggle-free and peppy motor. Maruti offers the option of 5-speed manual transmission and a 5-speed AMT. Both of these cars are also offered with an option of factory-fitted CNG.
However, the other reasons that fall on WagonR’s side for its success are the fuel efficiency figures that K-Series engines return and the availability of BS-6 engine since long. The WagonR also offers a lot more space inside the cabin as the car is 45 mm longer, 115 mm taller, and the wheelbase is also longer by a complete 35 mm.
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Maruti WagonR also offers a better set of rubber on the wheels. That said, the Santro is a good looking car in its segment, but the sales figures depict that buyers of this segment focus more on the practicality offered by the product. However, offering the Santro with a new set of engines to increase the fuel efficiency and reliability factor of the car might help Hyundai to retrieve the sales numbers.