Maruti Wagon R vs Hyundai Santro, both the cars will renew their rivalry of 20 years and be launched by Diwali this year.

Maruti Wagon R VXi+ Price
The 2018 Maruti Wagon R is unlikely to be underpinned by Suzuki’s HEARTECT platform

The 2018 Maruti Wagon R and the Hyundai Santro (name yet to be confirmed) are expected to be launched in India by the festive season renewing their rivalry of 20 years. The Santro was launched just before Maruti unveiled the Wagon R in 1998. Back then, both the cars had similar engine specifications and also targeted the same audience.

The small hatchback segment where the Maruti Wagon R and the Hyundai Santro will compete in generates over 30,000 units in sales every month. Currently, the Wagon R is Maruti’s fifth best-selling model and it received a major update back in 2013. The new Wagon R is already on sale in Japan but the India-spec model will be distinctive with different styling yet retaining the tall-boy design. The new Wagon R will comply with the crash test norms and is expected to get an updated engine too.

The Hyundai Santro was discontinued in 2014 and the new model is expected to be launched around Diwali. The Korean carmaker is expected to retain the Santro nameplate as it helps to connect better with the buyer. The 2018 Santro will fill the gap between the Eon and the Grand i10 and also retain the tall-boy stance as its predecessor. The small hatchback will be wider and larger than the previous Santro and will also debut Hyundai’s AMT technology.

Maruti Wagon R vs Hyundai Santro

– 2018 Maruti Wagon R and Hyundai Santro to be launched around the same time this year
– New Maruti Wagon R’s updated engine to be BS6 compliant
– New Santro will be one of the eight new cars promised by the company for India till 2020

Sticking to the Santro nameplate will help reduce marketing costs for Hyundai, as the Santro is already a familiar name amongst us Indians

Source – MoneyControl.com