Hyundai Santro new variant by end-2009

Hyundai Motors India plans to launch a spruced up variant of the popular Hyundai Santro by the end of 2009. The new Hyundai Santro is expected to come with a handful of stylistic changes. However, the company is not likely to increase its price.

The company is also not planning to execute any changes on the engine front, though, the other parts will see cosmetic changes.

The company currently sells the Hyundai Santro in three variants, petrol, LPG and CNG, priced between Rs 2, 59,900 and Rs 3, 69,059.

The Santro Xing was unveiled in the year 2003, two years after which, the Hyundai Santro was outfitted with the eRLX technology.

The CNG variant of the Hyundai Santro was introduced in 2007, followed by the Hyundai Santro LPG version in 2008.

Hyundai had earlier planned to phase out the Hyundai Santro after the launch of its highly successful model, the Hyundai i10, but has now reversed the decision.

The company launched the Hyundai i20 in India, in December 2008, which was as popular as its i10 model.

The company also exports the Hyundai Santro to Columbia, Mexico, Sudan, South Africa and Algeria.

At the moment, the Hyundai Santro and the Hyundai i10 comprise about 75 per cent of the 22,000-23,000 units that Hyundai sells each month in India, the company said.

Hyundai Motor reported a 10.9 per cent growth in cumulative sales in April 2009, with sales of  44,371 units, compared to 40,000 units in April 2008.

Domestic sales registered a growth of 3.5 per cent, with sales of 22,247 units compared to 21,501 units in April 2008.

Exports grew by 19.6 per cent clocking sales of 22,124 units in April 2009 compared to 18,499 units in April, 2008.

Hyundai has projected up to five per cent growth in total sales in India, in 2009.

Meanwhile, Hyundai plans to increase sourcing its components from India for its international needs.

Hyundai currently sources up to 85 per cent of the components locally for the cars it makes in India, the company’s second-largest market in the world.

The new decision is a welcome one owing to the fact that, at present, Hyundai sources only a negligible percentage of components from India for its global operations.

However, the company has said that India will need to spruce up and improve the quality of its products to qualify as its hub in this sector.

The company’s India operations are said to have initiated efforts in this regard.