Production of Hyundai Santro and Chevrolet Spark to hit the end of the road.Within the last week of the November,the final batch of the Santros will be rolled out,whereas the production of Spark will come to an end by December.Once these cars gave a tough competition to the Maruti Suzuki cars in the Indian market.Santro was the first car to make its global launch in India. Since its launch in October 1998, Hyundai has sold more than 1.36 million Santros in India and exported another 5,35,000.The industry experts say that once the Hyndai Santro had taken the automobile revolution in India,which was started by the Maruti 800,to another level.The launch of the Santro in India had come at a critical juncture for Hyundai. South Korea was going through one of the deepest economic crises, and the company’s endeavour to make an entry into Canadian market did not go as desired. In India, banks were not willing to lend to the company and advertising agencies were not forthcoming.
When it comes with the Chevrolet Spark,it is one of the most popular hatchback in the local market.More than 1,65,000 units of the spark in seven years since taking over the car portfolio of Daewoo . Sources revealed that the companies now believe that the models have reached the end of their life cycle. Hyundai is looking to also free up capacity to manufacture more units of its newer models, said people with knowledge of the company’s plans. Despite its portfolio getting expanded, the Santro is one of the strong brands in Hyundai Motor India’s portfolio still, selling an average 2,900 units a month.
Gauvrav Vangaal, senior analyst,forecasting,at consultancy firm IHS Automotive said,””The life cycles of all these vehicles are longer than expected due to strong demand forces. If the vehicle proves its worth in the eyes of the consumer, the consumer demand forces the manufacturer to continue with the vehicle.”