It was in mid-2018 when we first learnt that Hyundai will soon pull the plug on the ageing Eon hatchback. Well, the carmaker has officially taken down the Eon from its Indian website and the quirky, pocket-friendly car is now gone. What were the real reasons behind Eon’s demise? One, it would not have met the stricter safety regulations which will be enforced in India a few months down the line. Two, its engines wouldn’t have met the Bharat Stage VI emission norms which will come into effect from April next year. All in all, the Eon never brought enough sales for the carmaker to contemplate about investing and upgrading its recipe.

Launched in 2011, the Eon was Hyundai’s answer to the Maruti Suzuki Alto. Sure, it didn’t really trouble the bestselling Maruti Suzuki model of all time but it did spark some fire in the entry-level car segment. The Eon started its Indian innings with a 0.8-litre engine which produced a modest 56PS of power and 75Nm of torque. Soon afterwards, Hyundai started offering factory-fitted LPG kits with the same engine.

The year 2014 saw the introduction of a 1.0-litre engine under the hood of the Hyundai Eon. The said engine produced 69PS/94Nm. No matter which engine one chose, the only transmission option available was a 5-speed manual. The Hyundai Eon was a city runabout and its engines, although small, were peppy and frugal at the same time.

The entry-level car segment currently has products like the Datsun Redi-Go, the Renault Kwid and the Maruti Suzuki Alto. While the former two recently received a few safety-related updates, the Alto will soon get a much-needed generation change. Obviously, if all these models have to survive in India beyond April 2020, they will have to offer a list of basic safety features as standard and meet the BSVI emission regulations.

Presently, the least expensive Hyundai model on sale in India is the rejuvenated Santro. It was launched in October last year, sliding beneath the Grand i10 in Hyundai India’s product hierarchy. As car lovers, it is hard to see a model disappear from the market regardless of how it performed for the company and how it competed with its rivals. Hyundai Eon, we’ll miss you!