Saar: Expected to launch in October this year, the codename AH2 could very well make way for the Santro moniker.
Planning to buy a new small car around this year’s festive period? Well, you will be spoilt for choices as Hyundai is expected to launch an all-new small hatchback in the month of October 2018. What’s more, Hyundai has released a sketch that roughly depicts the design of the new car from the side. The model is currently codenamed as the AH2 but many believe that its production-ready version will revive the Santro moniker from the past.
As you can see from the sketch, the car has a tallboy design. In fact, Hyundai says “the AH2 is a Modern TallBoy Concept”. The two-dimensional drawing reveals that the car will have a strong shoulder line and prominent wheel arches. Look closely and the roofline is sloping towards the rear and blends neatly to a roof-mounted spoiler that protrudes over the rear windshield. The headlamps and bumper at the front will be accompanied by Hyundai’s cascading grille design, while the rear could very well house a dual-tone bumper like on the Hyundai Grand i10.
So, why another small car from Hyundai? Well, the AH2 will essentially be a replacement to the soon-to-be-defunct Eon hatchback. That means it will become Hyundai’s answer to the likes of the Renault Kwid and the Maruti Suzuki Alto. Mind you, Maruti Suzuki is also working on a brand-new small car. Anyway, back to the AH2. Like its main rivals from Renault and Maruti Suzuki, the Hyundai AH2 is expected to house a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine under the hood. What’s more, the new small car from Hyundai will become the first in the company’s Indian innings to have an automated manual transmission (AMT) in the mix. The said gearbox is likely to have five forward speeds and a single reverse speed in its configuration.
Ever since the Renault Kwid shook-up the entry-level car segment in India, not much has happened in that segment. However, with the Hyundai AH2, or should we say the new-gen Hyundai Santro, that space will surely see a new spark of life.
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