Hyundai Santamo

The Hyundai Santamo was the first mid-size minivan built in South Korea, sold from 22 December 1995 by Hyundai Precision and Products, the predecessor of Hyundai Mobis, through Hyundai Motor Service. Its name abbreviates Safety And Talented Motor. It was based on the Expo, the North American version of the second-generation Mitsubishi Chariot, and at first used only 2.0 litre Sirius petrol engines, with all-wheel drive on the DOHC version for a time. An 82 horsepower LPG version was added in June 1997 and became the mainstream choice because of LPG economy. Hyundai Motor took over the business in October 2000 and fitted its own emblem. The Santamo ended in October 2002, merged into the Trajet XG together with its sibling, the Kia Carstar.