With launches such as Ceed premium hatchback and Grand Carnival MPV lined up for India, Kia will soon mark entry into the Indian market with the launch of their first car later in 2019. This new vehicle from the brand partly owned by Hyundai will actually be the production version of Kia SP Concept. The South Korean carmaker had revealed the concept at 2018 Auto Expo in India. Now the brand has presented the SP Signature Concept at Seoul Motor Show. This new concept is the next step for the Kia SP Concept presented in India last year and actually gives a fair idea as to what the customers can expect from Kia’s upcoming first vehicle in India.
As already mentioned, the Kia SP Signature Concept is next version of the original SP concept presented last year, there is a marked similarity between the two concepts. Following the modern trend of cars looks, the headlamps in the SP Signature Concept are located below the sleek LED DRL (Daytime Running Lamps). As is true with a lot of concepts, some design elements will remain absent from the production version of the car. One such design element could be the front lamps coming together in the grille at front, also the grille of the concept has integrated DRLs.
Looking at the car from the side one can see that Kia has gone with the floating-roof design for this concept with the roof also being given a black shade. The shoulder line of the concept is not very aggressive and one can expect similar if not the same shoulder line in the production model as well. The window line of the SUV starts curving toward the rear end of the car that adds sharpness to the side rear profile. A single chrome line splits the rear tail light into two lending the concept a butch look. Below the tail lamps sit the exhaust tips of the concept that have been merged into the bumper, also one can find the metal skid plate here. Though these lend the concept a very premium look, one can only hope for them to make to the production version as is.
Kia said that a lot of upcoming cars will borrow inspiration from SP Signature Concept. As far as the production version of the SP Concept is concerned, it will lock horns with Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks and Renault Duster in the Indian market. The upcoming SUV from South Korean will feature the same platform that will also be found on the upcoming Hyundai Creta in the future.
Talking about things under the hood, there are chances Kia will fit their first car in India with a 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine rated to deliver around 140 Bhp. The second option could be a 1.5L petrol engine. As far as diesel is concerned, it could be a 1.5L turbocharged engine. The South Korean brand plans on launching one car every six months, and a more powerful version of their first vehicle is also on cards.