New Hyundai Santro’s Sales Surpass That Of The Kwid, Celerio And Tiago In April 2019

Launched in November 2018, the Hyundai Santro brought with it many expectations of the working-class car buyers of the country. The launch of the hatchback marked the 20-year period since the breakthrough hatchback was first introduced to the Indian market. Considering the segment is currently dominated by Maruti-Suzuki and the decreasing sales number of the Eon, the South Korean automaker had made a decision to revive the nostalgic nameplate of the Santro.

Positioned between the Eon and the Grand i10, the new-gen Santro has managed to record high sales number despite facing fierce competition from other vehicles in the teeming Indian hatchback segment. In April 2019, India's second largest automaker sold 6,906 units of the Santro. This coincided with the time when the Indian auto industry as a whole was experiencing an enormous sales decline. Last month, while Maruti-Suzuki suffered a 19.6% YoY sales decrease, Hyundai was able to keep the sales drop to just over 10%.

The 2018 Santro sold more units than any other hatchback in India last month.

Also read - Hyundai Santro Sales Exceeds 50,000 Unit Mark In India

The table below shows the sales of the four most popular hatchbacks in India.

As the table shows, the Hyundai Santro’s sales figures exceed that of its main competitors like the Maruti Celerio, the Renault Kwid, and the hottest-selling model of Tata in India, the Tiago. To be more specific, the Celerio came in the second position with 5,336 units sold last month and suffered a sales drop by 31% from the same period last year The Renault Kwid and the Tata Tiago experienced an 8% and 25% YoY sales decline, respectively.

The Maruti Celerio, one of the Hyundai Santro's rivals, experienced a sales drop last month.

Also read - Hyundai Santro Outsells the Tiago And Kwid In December 2018

The new-gen Hyundai Santro comes with a more angular appearance which is more in line with the design theme of many modern Hyundai models. The cabin is packed with a wide range of top-notch features, among which the most note-worthy one is its 7-inch touchscreen infotainment setup with multiple smartphone connectivity apps. The vehicle is powered by a 1.1-litre 4-cylinder E-Epsilon petrol engine with a maximum power output of 69bhp with a peak torque of 99Nm, along with a CNG-assisted petrol motor with 59bhp and 84Nm of torque. The transmission duties are undertaken by a pair of 5-speed MT and AMT gearboxes. The Santro is priced in the range of INR 3.89 lakh to INR 5.45 lakh (ex-showroom).

The Hyundai Santro hatchback is expected to maintain its good sales performance in the time to come and the company has even been reported to be developing an entry-level Santro variant with low cost to expand the customers’ network, and also replace the slow-selling Eon.

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