[RavenAvi]

A big thank you to my birdies for this info.

Hyundai India has apparently stopped production of the i10 hatchback. The last i10 - in Black colour - rolled out of the production line 3 days back.

Amidst growing demand of its 3 bestsellers - Grand i10, i20 twins & the Creta - and the excellent initial response to the Tucson SUV, Hyundai India has decided to pull out the ageing i10 from regular production.

The i10 hatch, the last offering from Hyundai India sporting the "Fluidic 1.0" body design, was a significant seller in its day until the Grand i10 picked up the mantle. Hyundai India updated the i10 with the "Fluidic 1.0" touch in 2011, after which sales had been consistently in the 8,000-9,000 numbers' mark.

Hyundai is said to be preparing the all-new Santro to be introduced in the Indian market sometime in 2018, which has been touted as the i10's replacement.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Hyundai India has apparently stopped production of the i10 hatchback. The last i10 - in Black colour - rolled out of the production line 3 days back.

Does this include the i10 running as taxis in Mumbai as well? Because only last week I saw a sparkling new Santro doing taxi duty and it is not uncommon to see new i10s as well?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ksameer1234

Does this include the i10 running as taxis in Mumbai as well?

Yes, it would mean a complete stop in production. Reason is similar to why the Santro was discontinued = Hyundai wants to use that capacity for more profitable cars. The i10 was anyway selling only 1800 - 2000 cars / month.

[Vinodh_Gowda]

So this leaves Maruti-Suzuki with one competitor less under 5-5.5 lakhs price bracket.

Just a thought: Agree that Grand i10 introduction has cannibalised the sales from the now discontinued - i10 but then isn't it also a fact that people who used to consider Maruti Celerio, Wagon R etc... on getting to know i10 as their competitor walked into Hyundai showroom and then found that Grand i10 is more bang for the buck? In discontinuing i10 hasn't Hyundai lost more than just 1800 customers per month?

[Amit_breakfree]

This also leaves a huge gap in Hyundai's portfolio because after Eon the next option for customers will be Grand i10, which is Swift's competitor in the market.

The field is now open for Celerio and WagonR to consolidate their positions and additionally TATA should pull up their socks as Tiago may get the benefit from this.

However, RIP i10, you will be fondly remembered as one of the perfect city cars and one of the early superstars from Hyundai's stable.

[fx45]

So on one side, Maruti stops building Ritz and now i10 is gone. The big question is, what will the be the next Mumbai black and yellow taxi?

As far as I know only four-cylinder petrol cars are allowed to be used for Taxi. Three cylinder models cant be made taxis.

Santro >> Dead
Ritz >> Dead
i10 >> Dead
Beat >> Could be the next contender maybe!

Its high time Maruti brings in a proper taxi-spec hatchback for India, just like the Dzire Tour.

[Flanker99]

Originally Posted by fx45

So on one side, Maruti stops building Ritz and now i10 is gone. The big question is, what will the be the next Mumbai black and yellow taxi?

Beat >> Could be the next contender maybe!

I actually saw one kali-peeli Beat on Sunday, parked close to my house. I had initially mistaken it for a Ritz. But somehow found the shape a bit odd for a Ritz. I turned around to have a second look and then I saw those hidden rear door handles and that unique wheel design.

[RSR]

This was always on the cards, considering that it was the oldest product in Hyundai's India line-up and the only one carrying the old design language. The i10's design harks back to the pre-"Fluidic" days of Hyundai. Later, its facelifted version was given "Fluidic 1.0" touches at the front & rear to make it blend in with the rest of its family.

With the end of i10's production run, two important things that laid the very solid foundation for HMIL's growth in India are no longer a part of their arsenal. One is a smart little tall-boy hatchback (Santro / i10) and the second is their 1086cc 4-pot 3-valves/cylinder under-square SOHC Epsilon/iRDE/iRDE2 petrol motor that churned out 63 PS ~ 69 PS and did duty in three different cars [Santro, i10 & Getz (Prime)]. This engine has a very responsive and torquey nature in the lower & middle part of the revv range, offers great driveability and sharp throttle responses, but also runs out of breath at higher revvs.

The i10 was re-positioned after the Grand i10's launch and the 1.2 Kappa 16-valve DOHC VTVT motor & 4-speed automatic gearbox were discontinued. Not only that, safety features like dual airbags & ABS were no longer available. Also, height-adjustable rear neck restraints, Bluetooth connectivity, steering-mounted controls etc. were left out.

Even the Eon gets an optional driver airbag across the range (except for the bare-bones base model). All other Hyundais get at least one (or two) airbag(s) standard across the range. It's good that Hyundai pulled the plug on the i10 than continue selling such a car without even an optional driver airbag in this day & age.

Originally Posted by fx45

As far as I know only four-cylinder petrol cars are allowed to be used for Taxi. Three cylinder models cant be made taxis.

I think it's only CNG-powered cars maybe, irrespective of the number of cylinders. How else can this Omni ply as a black-and-yellow taxi? The number plate indicates a Mumbai registration:

Image link

[blackasta]

Well, signs are clear that I should part with my 2009 (pre facelift non vtvt) i10 soon.
Else it might become a problem to find realistic value later.
Hate to do this - the i10 is the perfect city hatch, especially in the AT avatar which I have.
Edit: Spares may become a problem too.

[Amit_breakfree]

Originally Posted by fx45

Beat >> Could be the next contender maybe!

I think Beat is too small to be successful in the taxi market. Seating 3 at the back will be a task and one can't carry more than couple of small bags in the boot. Hence, I am not sure whether Beat will be lapped up by the taxi market.

Also, I don't think there's a ban on cars with 3 cylinders being used as taxi. WagonR has a 3 cylinder, 1.0 l engine and it is very popular with Ola and Uber.

Maruti could have converted Ritz for taxi segment and named it as 'Ritz Tour' but they have got their hands full with high demand of Baleno, Breeza, Swift, and almost every second car in its stable, which has led to axing of Ritz from their line-up.

[jpcoolguy]

So, finally Hyundai decided to pull the plug on one of its older cars which had given them early success in the market, after Santro.

Once the Grand i10 is released, Hyundai have started giving stepmother treatment to this little hatch - how would one explain when it was not given any Airbags/ABS even as an Option. But in its heydays, during 2010-11 period, I remember i10 was outselling Swift consistently.

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by RSR

This was always on the cards, considering that it was the oldest product in Hyundai's India line-up and the only one carrying the old design language.

Isn't the Verna (launched in 2006) the oldest existing car amongst the Hyundai line up? Its regular refresh and updates notwithstanding.

[AYP]

Originally Posted by King_pin09

Isn't the Verna (launched in 2006) the oldest existing car amongst the Hyundai line up? Its regular refresh and updates notwithstanding.

The present gen Verna was launched in 2011. It got updated in 2013 and 2015.

[VinsWagen]

Originally Posted by Amit_breakfree

I think Beat is too small to be successful in the taxi market. Seating 3 at the back will be a task and one can't carry more than couple of small bags in the boot. Hence, I am not sure whether Beat will be lapped up by the taxi market.

Also, I don't think there's a ban on cars with 3 cylinders being used as taxi. WagonR has a 3 cylinder, 1.0 l engine and it is very popular with Ola and Uber.

Maruti could have converted Ritz for taxi segment and named it as 'Ritz Tour' but they have got their hands full with high demand of Baleno, Breeza, Swift, and almost every second car in its stable, which has led to axing of Ritz from their line-up.

I have felt that the rear seat of Beat is clearly wider and spacious than i10 and possibly maybe Ritz too. The luggage capacity may be less but that is not a big criteria these days. Gone are the days when Taxis were called only when you return from the airport or the railway station with those huge luggage. There is still a huge demand there but the cab usage has spread out much more - even for daily chores or say, office commutation. There is huge demand for small taxis these days - lesser fare and easy on traffic