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The Hyundai Santro was perceived as an eccentric design earlier by many, when it came along in mid 1998.But the eccentricities came to be acceptable and the car became a much loved one very soon. It was on the best selling list and though waiting lists were unknown, the car had due to its simplicity,spacious interiors in its class, tall boy looks, courteous service by HMIL and commanding road view by the driver become a favourite.Soon it became the Xing with refreshed looks and a heart transplant in 2003.
The i10 came along in 2008 and though this is now the second best selling car(June 2010 figures), the Santro niche still remains untapped as the i10 is no tall boy, though quite advanced in most aspects vis a vis the Santro.
The Santro still sells in small numbers, but the looks have become dated.If the design is refreshed with contemporary styling cues and some improvements made for rear seated passengers alongwith a better dash and so on, the car can again sell well as the cheapest Hyundai.
As there is nothing attractive from HMIL below the i10 budget, many low budget car buyers are attracted by the MSIL range.The Santro Xing as of now is not even considered by many buyers!

Santro was a dream car and a perfect alternative to M-800, Zen's being sold by maruti. It was the top selling model for Hyundai, pity that it is now being pushed back to accomodate the i10 and the i20's. I feel if gievn a new look and introduce some latest gadgetry it would still be a force to reckon with. Put in a great pricing and Hyundai will regain the 2nd spot which it lost recently to TATA.
I owned the Santro till last nov and it was the best thing that had happened to me. The service was impecceable although slighlty on the higher side but the car served me lot more faithfully. I am for the New Santro if Hyundai plans, an ideal second car choice for my wife.clap:

The SANTRO available now sports completely different interiors save for the dashboard. The seats are like the i10 and the dominating colour is beige.

There was this rumour that HYUNDAI is selling off the dies of the SANTRO to an electric car maker in Chennai, wonder what happend to that

The refresh which was introduced last year was just in terms of interior color and a front grill. That has hardly contributed to a refresh to be honest. it would be better if they look a total face lift as they have done for the Verna.

Not small, the Santro sells anywhere between 6,000 - 7,000 cars in most months. For a 13 year old launch, that's a lot of $$$ to the bottom line. The i10 is the Santro's spiritual successor and has deservedly overtaken it in sales. I foresee the Santro chugging along, mainly selling on price in a Hyundai showroom, until its time for the next-gen i10 (still some time away).

Hyundai should experiment with alternate fuel options. A diesel engine is supposedly headed toward the i10, yet how about a CNG / LPG factory kit for the Santro? I know there is / was a Santro CNG, but it was more of a dealer option rather than factory fitment, and thus inconsistent (in availability & marketing). I'm speaking of a WagonR-LPG kinda approach.

Hyundai was India's No.2 manufacturer for over 10 years. It's only this year that Tata overtook the Korean giant. Not surprising, as all that the Hyundai has for <5 lakh rupees are two hatchbacks (Maruti & Tata, both, offer a wider buffet). They MUST experiment.

Hyundai already sells the santro with a factory fitted LPG option called the 'eco'.

Imho, CNG coverage is still too sparse for companies to launch it as a mainstream model.

The newer santros are just badly built when compared to the older cars, the built to a price approach shows, but then again, when you have the i10 irde for a few thousands more, i doubt hyundai will be able to offer anything more in the santro.

I just saw this .. website.. if what this says is right then.. Hyundai Santro Diesel is coming soon Hyundai Santro in India - Hyundai Santro Price, Hyundai Santro Reviews | CarDekho.com

Yes I agree, newer Santros are badly built comparing to 'zing'. I had checked a new santro with new silver touch dash and seats, it looked very cheap.

I learned driving in a Santro:)

Good point to look for a refreshed Santro, but I have a feeling that is not going to happen.
As GTO mentioned its the i10 which is the actual successor for the Santro. So as far as PD activity for the car goes its already done.

The only way Santro is going is lower pricing strategy one, meaning, only thing that will happen is they will remove some feature and make it more cost effective to buy, other than this dont think anything else will be considered for Santro.

I think it is high time that the Santro is laid to rest. The new Santro, i.e. i10 is selling well.

Hyundai needs to be in the sub-i10 space. Till the time the H800 arrives, I don't think they will phase it out. They might as well give it a facelift and sell it alongside the H800.

Posting a PS job I did on what I think the Santro refresh could be. It sure ain't pretty, but considering the existing shape and lines, I think its a little better.

launching a santro auto would be a good move if maruti plans to launch A* auto.

Why would Hyundai want to spend that much on a refresh? The Santro is on its last legs and will soon be replaced by something in its price range. Until then, it makes no sense for Hyundai to invest and refresh it.

They might throw in the odd decals and other visual changes though

Though the Santro's looks were found to be quirky when launched, it was only a matter of time before people accepted the looks. I am among the minority who like the initial looks to the current Xing looks. My friend had bought the initial version in black with full black tints and it looked killer.

If it still sells 6-7K a month, that's actually awesome, given that its an old model now and its replacement is already in the market.

If we look at our major car manufacturers they still have their cheapest cars on sale. Thats because there is a population which takes up theirs as a first car and the others as their city car.
Whatever investment went into the production of the Santro must have been covered up by now (Northern states alone would suffice) and whatever sells is just profit. If anything has to go from the Hyundai stable is the Accent. But as long as the Ikon has a market, so will the parallel running Accent.

When we talk about i10 as a successor to the Santro, really, it should be closely priced as the Santro. The pricing deficit just makes the i10 another segment all together, the swift territory segment. I would completely agree with the OP that it is time for a refreshed Santro.