Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) today started a contest called 'Hyundai naamkaran' inviting names for the upcoming Hyundai AH2 (codename). The Korean carmaker is soliciting names from the public, which, as per reports, will be added as a suffix to the 'Santro' nameplate the company is reviving.
HMIL has revealed a sketch of the AH2, which it refers to as a "Contemporary Family Car". The company confirmed that the premiere will take place this festive season, though IndianAutosBlog understands that a media reveal is scheduled for October 4.
The 2018 Hyundai Santro is a "Modern Tallboy Concept", with an overall design based on "Rhythmical Tension", the company said in a statement today. It is reported to be underpinned by the previous Hyundai i10's HA platform and will launch with only a petrol engine. The engine in question is the 1.1-liter unit from the now discontinued Hyundai Santro Xing, as per reports. In the Santro, this engine had an output of 63 PS and 98 Nm. Engineers have modernized this unit to meet BS6 emission norms.
Hyundai will offer an AMT (automated manual transmission) for the first time in India beginning with the AH2, and it expects this transmission variant to account for nearly 30% of AH2 sales. As standard, the AH2 will get a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Also read: EV variants of Hyundai compact SUV and sedan under study for India - Report
Rivals for the 2018 Hyundai Santro include top-end variants of the Renault Kwid, Maruti Wagon R and the Tata Tiago. With the launch of the AH2, HMIL will reportedly discontinue the Hyundai Eon as there are no plans to upgrade it to meet future crash and emission regulations.
