Hyundai Santro Xing and its Epsilon engine – time to bid adieu
It seems that the industry is accustomed to forget the seniors. It has almost forgotten the Maruti 800 and its dwindling sales as soon as reports have come in that the car will be out of production soon. Now the latest buzz is that both the Hyundai Santro Xing and its Epsilon petrol engine will be thrown out of the production factory two years from now. Pity, but it should happen when these cars have failed to provide the numbers they used to have in their days. It is believed that introduction of more attractive offerings such as Maruti Alto in case of Maruti 800 and Hyundai Eon and Hyundai i10 in case of Santro has led to the untimely death of these two cars. But it seems that despite of the nostalgia, there is no way out for the companies to carry on production of these cars.
The Epsilon petrol engine has been the hot favorite and this has made the Santro a success following its 61 bhp power and close to 17 kmpl mileage. Now that the Kappa series engine have come in, it is not at all feasible for the Korean car maker to continue producing the Epsilon engines that do not sell as well as they were earlier. Thus, with the engine going out of production, Santro Xing will also go out and it should be making way for some other similar offering that will be as attractive as that of the Xing and as affordable to drive and maintain.
Certainly, Santro has established the Korean brand in India and it is this car that has made the car maker accede to the second largest car maker position. Alter on the
Hyundai i10 and other cars such as
Hyundai i20 and the Accent came in and took shared the success story. Now what the Santro did in Hyundai’s earlier days, is what Hyundai Eon is doing today. Though the recent up and downs in the price of petrol has spoiled the market for petrol cars, still the car is selling hot following its price and the brand value.
