All-New Hyundai Santro interiors spied: Most premium Santro ever?

Indian-arm of the Korean automaker, Hyundai Motor India plans to reintroduce its best selling highly popular all-new Hyundai Santro back in the country. While the market debut is still about 4-5 months away, the company is busy testing its new Santro across the country. The car has been spotted several times in Chennai and nearby districts and once it was also spotted testing in the capital. The most recent spy images from Motorbeam further gives a glimpse of the interiors of the 2018 Hyundai Santro.

The spy shots of the new gen Hyundai Santro test mule suggest that the entry-level car is likely to get interiors finished in black and beige. Top variants will feature a three-spoke steering wheel with audio controls. The quality of plastic looks decent and there is also a twin-pod instrument cluster with a possible touchscreen infotainment system. The new Hyundai Santro will sit between Hyundai Eon and Hyundai i10 and sources also suggest that it will replace the Hyundai Eon in company's India portfolio. In many ways, Hyundai Santro started the trend of tall boy cars in 1998 and was on sale for 16 years till 2014 and saw the introduction of cars like the i10 and Eon that gained popularity and added to overall volumes. Hyundai Santro played a crucial role for the company to grow and become the country's second-largest carmaker.

Expect Hyundai Motor India to add a lot of premium features on the new Santro. It will feature power windows, body-coloured door handles, electrically adjustable ORVMs, digital instrument cluster. The introduction of touchscreen infotainment system will see it taking on the likes of Renault Kwid and at the same time, the likes of Tata Tiago and Maruti Suzuki Celerio also will have reasons to worry. However, Maruti Suzuki Wagon R will be Santo's arch rival. The new generation Maruti Suzuki Wagon R is expected to debut in India by the end of 2018 or in early 2019.

On the exterior front, Hyundai Santro will feature its tall boy design language that it was known for with major changes to the car's dimensions. Expect the width of new Santro to go up to offer more cabin space. Large headlamp cluster similar to that on the Hyundai Grand i10 and cascade grille will add to the aggressive front face. Expect the new Santro to get a new 1L three-cylinder petrol engine mated to a 5-speed manual transmission and also expect an optional AMT gearbox.

Officially, Hyundai has not confirmed that its new 'small car' codenamed AH2 will be named as Santro. But with the kind of legacy the car has and the success it has seen, why go with another name? 2018 Hyundai Santro will surely disrupt entry-level car and entry-hatch segment in India.