Yes, the Hyundai Atos is being discontinued… again. With production having ceased in India, the entry-level hatch is about to be put out to pasture in South Africa, too.

Hyundai Automotive South Africa has confirmed the Atos entry-level hatchback will soon be pulled from its range as local stock runs dry. The news comes 10 years after the nameplate was last discontinued in SA.

Production of the budget car ceased in India (where it was known as the Santro) in mid-2022, though Hyundai’s local distributor seemingly managed to secure enough stock to cover the 2nd half of last year as well as much of the opening quarter of 2023.

When asked by Cars.co.za about the future of the Atos in South Africa, a Hyundai representative confirmed there were about 400 units left in stock with a few days of February 2023 to go.

The latest version of the Hyundai Atos lasted just over 3 years on the local market.

Slotting in below the Grand i10, the Atos is Hyundai’s cheapest new car (while it’s still here), with the 4-strong local line-up (including a pair of Cargo-badged panel-van variants) running from R199900 to R214900. All derivatives employ a naturally aspirated 1.1-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine sending 50 kW and 99 Nm to the front wheels via either a 5-speed manual gearbox or an automated manual with the same number of cogs.

This AH2-generation Atos arrived in South Africa late in 2019 (days after the Indian-spec model scored 2 stars in its Global NCAP crash test, with its body shell rated as “unstable”), priced at R159900 and backed up by a 7-year/200 000 km warranty and a 1-year service plan. In August 2021, the light-commercial Cargo variants joined the range, before the AMT derivative hit the market the following month.

The original Atoz (yes, with a “Z”, as in “A to Z”) launched locally around the turn of the millennium, before gaining a significant update and switching to the Atos badge in 2005. It was eventually pulled from the local market in 2013, after more than 45000 units had been registered in South Africa.

How has the 2nd-generation model fared on the sales charts? Well, it’s clear stock is running low; some 220 units were sold locally in January 2023, down from 343 units in December 2022.

According to our calculations (based on official figures reported to Naamsa), as many as 7419 units were registered in South Africa in 2022, translating to a healthy monthly average of 618 units. Last year, the best single month for the Atos was March, when 822 units were sold.

Once the final few hundred examples of the Atos have found owners, the Grand i10 1.0 Motion (currently priced at R214900) will step into the role of Hyundai Automotive SA’s cheapest new car.

Buy a Hyundai Atos on Cars.co.za

Related content

It’s Official: Kia Rio to Exit South Africa at End of 2023

Hyundai i30 N vs VW Golf 8 GTI: SA Sales Over Past 12 Months

SA’s Best-Selling Cars in January 2023: VW Polo Vivo Slips