Indian Market: Hyundai i10 Replaces Santro as Best-Selling Model

According to the past few months’ sales reports for the Indian market, Hyundai’s i10 hatchback has taken the title of the company’s best-selling car, overtaking the Santro, Economic Times wrote.

To make things clear we must mention that the Hyundai i10 was launched in October 2007 and it replaces the Santro in every market on the globe except India, where the latter is still being sold as a low cost alternative.

The i10 has recorded an average sales figure of 12,000 units a month, compared to the Santro’s 7,000 units per month, thus becoming the company’s weapon of choice for battling rival automaker Maruti Suzuki on the local market.

For the current year, Hyundai expects i10 sales to total 140,000 units and Santro sales to reach 85,000 units.

“We follow a multi-model strategy and look at consolidated sales of Santro and i10. Sales of the Santro and i10 together contribute a sizeable chunk of the compact car segment and it adds to a larger customer base,” said Arvind Saxena, senior VP at Hyundai Motor India.

Company officials offer different explanations for the I10’s commercial success. Among them we can find contemporary stiling and competitive pricing.