Hyundai to launch diesel, CNG versions of Santro

Hyundai, which started exporting the compact car Getz today, will also launch three versions of the car in the domestic market. The car will be rechristened Getz Prime and will have three variants with 1.1 litre and 1.3 litre petrol engines and a 1.5 litre diesel engine. “The 1.1 litre petrol engine will basically enable us to take advantage of the excise duty cut in last year’s budget but it will not cannibalise the demand for Santro, even though the engine is the same. The 1.3 litre Getz that we have here today will get a facelift with the same engine while the diesel variant will come in the second half of the year,” Lheem said.

Close on the heels of these launches, Hyundai will launch a twin version of Santro, which till now has been under wraps with a codename PA. The car will be placed between the existing Santro and Getz and will come either at the end of the current year or early next year, Lheem said. “We had promised to launch two new cars every year but this year will see frenetic activity from us, as we have realised that the opportune moment for us to expand our base has come.”

Hyundai is clearly following in the foot-steps of arch rivals Maruti Udyog (MUL), which has given the consumer an array of choices in the small car arena. Just like Maruti, which has a Wagon R and Zen Estilo in the 1.1 litre platform and Maruti 800 and Alto in the 800cc segment, Hyundai will now have four models with a 1.1 litre engine.

The big news is clearly the diesel Santro, which is likely to sport a 1.1-1.2 litre engine, which will make it the smallest diesel engine in the country. Currently only Tata’s Indica offers a diesel variant in the small car segment but its engine is bigger (1.4 litre).