Hyundai's i10 replaces Santro as flagship model


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Hyundai’s next generation hatchback i10 has overtaken the company’s best-selling car, Santro, to become the flagship model for the Korean auto major, according to the sales figures for the past few months.

Average sales of the i10 have touched 12,000 units a month, against about 7,000 for the Santro, prompting Hyundai to consider this hatchback, launched two years back to counter Maruti Suzuki’s growing popularity, as its flagship model.

However, the Korean auto major does not say so formally. “We follow a mutli-model strategy and look at consolidated sales of Santro and i10. Sales of the Santro and i10 together contribute a sizeable chunk of the compact car segment and it adds to a larger customer base,” said Arvind Saxena, senior VP at Hyundai Motor India. For the current year, Hyundai expects Santro sales at 85,000 units and the I10 to gross 1.4 lakh units.

Company executives offer varied reasons for the growth of the i10. But contemporary styling, competitive pricing and superior technology have remained the common features for the growing popularity, say executives connected with the development.

The rise in sales is despite the i10 being priced slightly higher than the Santro. Since its launch two years back, the i10 has managed to average domestic sales of around 12,000 a month, from 6,500 units; while sales of the Santro have fallen from 12,000 units in 2000, to the current 7,000 units a month.

Although the Santro did manage to shake up the small car market, sales over the past few years have been under pressure owing to competition from Maruti-Suzuki’s Alto, Estilo, Wagon-R and Tata Indica.

With the urban consumer wanting contemporary and technologically superior cars, the Santro, in recent months, has seen a sizeable chunk of its sales going to tier ii markets. Sources also say that the company is pushing the i10 in urban markets and Santro to the semi-urban and rural market.

People close to the development also say that the Korean major may launch the Santro with a smaller size engine option at a lower price point to compete directly with Maruti-Suzuki’s Alto, currently the bestseller.

Economictimes
 
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I was expecting this news looking at the sales figure of this year. I hope if they are launching santro with a smaller engine, they do some cosmetic changes, because this one really looks bad(expect the topend version which looks somewhat better with spoiler n wheel caps)
[Personal Opinion].
 
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Hyundai is working on its 800CC engine for some time now and would surely launch it with all new Santro with priced to compete maruti 800 and alto's sales.They have also stated that top end model would have its current 1100cc engine of current model.Lets see when do they launch this.Any news for this coming auto expo?
 
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i10 is a big success for Hyundai, i think even they might not have expected so much. It is the best car in small car in every respect.
 
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I think the Santro's days in its present avatar are numbered.
But it did have a great run, and is close to the hearts of many owners!!
 
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Hyundai is working on its 800CC engine for some time now and would surely launch it with all new Santro with priced to compete maruti 800 and alto's sales.They have also stated that top end model would have its current 1100cc engine of current model.Lets see when do they launch this.Any news for this coming auto expo?
This move is a great one. Optional 1100cc engine for those who want to spend more for better performance. I think Maruti should have done similar thing with Alto too. Absence of the 1100cc engine option is the complain you will often hear from most of the new Alto owners.
 
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The removal of the 1.1 lit from the Alto portfolio was I think part of the strategy to have the Alto replace the M800 at some point of time.
I guess the guys at Maruti realized that the M800 is not going to die that easily!!
 

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