South Korean company Kia is all set to make a splash in the Indian market and the very first launch from the brand for the country will be the sold under the name of Seltos in the country. The brand has revealed their first SUV -- the Seltos -- in the Indian market. Upon launch later this year, the Seltos will be placed in the compact SUV segment and will lock horns with SUVs like the Tata Harrier and Mahindra XUV500 in the Indian market. So here are a few facts that you should know about the first vehicle of the South Korean brand in the Indian market.
Engine and Transmission Options
Kia Seltos will come with three engine options in the Indian market. All the three engines on the SUV will comply with the latest BS-VI emission norms of the country that will come into force from April 2020. Kia will bring out a high performance 1.4L T-GDI turbo-petrol engine with the SUV as well and this engine will come paired to a 7 speed dual clutch transmission. This is the performance oriented version of the SUV. The other engine options will be a 1.5L petrol and diesel engines that will be given the name ‘Smartstream’. These engines will come with a 6-speed manual as standard, and a CVT automatic as well as a Intelligent Variable Transmission automatic will also be offered as options for the customers. This brings out the total of the options to 3 engines and 4 transmissions.
Terrain Response System
Kia Seltos will also come with 3 drive modes (Normal, Eco and Sport) and even terrain modes (Wet, Mud and Sand), these can be chosen based on the terrain of drive. The presence of an automatic gearbox along with the Terrain Response system will make the Seltos a more interesting option in the segment. The Terrain Response System in Seltos will vary the output on the basis of data gathered from traction control system, brake assist system, stability control management, and other such features.
HUD
Another unique feature of the Seltos will be presence of a Head-Up Dsiplay unit that will display vital information for the driver. This will make the Seltos the first affordable car to offer such a setup in the market. Till now, only the premium tirer cars came with this option for their customers. The information displayed on the HUD will come in quite handy for the drivers of commutes as well as long trips.
Hyundai Creta Connection
It is common knowledge that Kia and Hyundai are related brands. However, what a lot of people do not know at this point is that the Seltos also features the same platform that the upcoming generation model of Hyundai Creta will be built on. Not just this, there are reports that the two SUVs will also share engine options in the Indian market. However, there are slim chances that the high performance turbo petrol engine of the Seltos will be offered with the next-gen Creta in the future.
Sharp Price
The company has still now revealed the pricing of the Seltos in the Indian market. However, there are hopes that the South Korean maker will price the SUV sharply in the Indian market in order to attract more customers to their first car in India. One can expect the range of Seltos to start from somewhere in the range of Rs 11-12 lakh, ex-showroom. While this is expensive than the current Hyundai Creta, the Seltos sure has features to match the price tag.