The Kia Seltos is all slated for its unveil on June 20. Here’s everything you need to know about the first car fro Kia for the Indian market.
Kia is one of the most anticipated new brands entering the Indian market this year. The SP2i concept they showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo did garner a lot of positive attention and that was set to be their first product for India. It eventually got named as the Seltos and the global unveil of the car is scheduled on June 20. Before it is officially unveiled, we have compiled you a list of what you can expect from the upcoming Kia Seltos.
Exterior Design
The Kia Seltos looks pretty similar to the Kia SP Signature concept that was showcased at the Seoul Motorshow. The wheels have gone down a size at 18-inches with 225/45-section Kumho tyres but they continue with the dual-tone design for the alloys.
The face is dominated by the bold ‘Tiger Nose’ grille with very fancy looking LED headlamps that are connected by a light bar atop the grille. The Seltos will also get a contrast roof, slim LED fog lamps, a chrome strip on the A-pillar, a chrome-finished window line that rises sharply towards the rear, roof rails and a chunky chrome bar connecting the tail-lights.
Interior Design
Kia had released a few sketches of the interiors some time ago and the Seltos seems to have a very well laid out cabin. The infotainment screen takes center stage on the dashboard below which there are the horizontally stacked AC vents.Further down on the center console, there’s a rectangular digital screen for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning unit with a single dial on the screen for changing temperature or airflow.
The Seltos gets the signature three-spoke Kia steering wheel with multi-function controls. The interiors really seem premium in the dual-tone finish in the sketches. The dashboard is mostly black but a beige trim, which most likely be faux wood, runs across the dashboard and also around the gear lever and it looks very classy. What really lifts up the interiors are the generous use of faux brushed-aluminum trims used on the steering wheel, door pads, air-con vent surrounds and on the center console as well. There’s even a passenger sided grab bar that beautifully flows down from the climate control display unit.
Features and Equipment
Kia has confirmed that the Seltos will be getting connected car technology like in the Venue and the Hector. It means you will be able to control certain functions from your smartphone and also have live internet facilities in the car. Apart from that, it will have a 10.25 inch touchscreen infotainment system. It will also feature a navigation system and voice command.
It gets an analog tachometer and speedometer but there’s also a coloured multi-info display in between them. Higher models will most likely get a heads-up display. Other features will include LED mood lighting, a 360-degree camera, wireless charging, push-button start, drive mode selector and in-car WiFi, some of which are segment firsts.
Also Read : Kia Seltos New Teaser Out – Global Unveil On June 20
Powertrain Options
The Kia Seltos will come with a 1.5L petrol and a 1.5L diesel engine. The engines are likely to be BS-VI ready but could launched as BS-IV compliant at launch. There will be choice of both automatic and manual transmission. Kia is also working on a sportier variant of the Seltos that will be powered by a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It will churn out 140 hp and will even come with paddle shifters.
Another interesting point to note would be that in some recent spy shots, the Seltos was seen wearing T-GDi and 4WD badges. That hints about a turbo-petrol, four-wheel-drive version could also be in the cards. Some interior spy shots also reveal an ‘off-rode’ mode on the drive mode selector which means it could be fairly capable off-road as well.
Also Read : Kia Seltos Interiors Revealed In Spy Shots – Gets Premium Features
Pricing and Competition
The Kia Seltos is all slated for its global unveil on the 20th of June. The launch will be followed in a few months time when the Seltos is expected to be priced around Rs. 10-16 lakhs, ex-showroom. When launched, the Seltos will go up against the Hyundai Creta, the Renault Captur, the Nissan Kicks, the Tata Harrier and even some lower variants of the Jeep Compass and the MG Hector.
