The Hindu Business Line : Hyundai studies fuel options for Santro

Hyundai Motor India is the latest entrant among auto players to study the LPG and CNG market. The company is looking at fuel options for its flagship model, the Hyundai Santro. Company officials said that they are studying the options based on its features and availability factor.

Unlike competitors (Maruti's Wagon R), the new variant will not be introduced with a facelift, said officials. It will just be another variant added to the existing range.

According to reports in sections of the media, the company is also said to be looking at a 1.1-litre CRDi (common rail direct injection) diesel engine. The parent company Hyundai Motor Company, Korea, is said to be working on the development of the engine. The introduction of the diesel variant will give a diverse range of fuel options (petrol, diesel, LPG or CNG) to the prospective buyer, thus, making it a lucrative choice.

Auto players such as General Motors and Hindustan Motors have introduced CNG for their luxury models Optra and Lancer, respectively. Mr Ankush Arora, Vice-President — Marketing, General Motors India, said that the new variant has received good response with initial orders of 30 units within a span of one month. The company has introduced the fuel option with their 1.6-litre Optra variant and is most likely to introduce it with the 1.8-litre variant too. The CNG Lancer is shortlisted for a private taxi fleet in Mumbai and the company is eagerly awaiting a big order (100 units) from the fleet operator.

These players are looking at CNG primarily due to their focus on niche areas such as Mumbai and Delhi where its presence is strong. Maruti Udyog, on the other hand, has opted for LPG for some of its models (Omni, Wagon R) primarily due to its nationwide network and safety features in comparison to CNG. Experts said that Hyundai may probably go the Maruti way for the Santro, keeping nationwide sales in mind.

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