Kia Motors is planning to work on a seven-seater Seltos model as its virtual sibling, Hyundai Creta is expected to get an extended capacity variant soon. Recently, Hyundai Creta was launched at an introductory price of Rs 9.99 lakhs (ex-showroom). Being based on the same platform, it shares a lot with Kia Seltos, in terms of powertrain and features.
Kia is considering to get the 7-seater version of their 5-seater Seltos. Compared to its predecessor, the seven-seater model is expected to get some additional features. The pricing is also expected to be aggressive, just like the 5-seater Kia Seltos.
Like the regular Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta, this seven-seater SUV will share the same powertrain. Under the skin, it will offer 3 engine options. A 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces around 114 bhp power and 144 Nm of peak torque. While the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol delivers a power output of 138 bhp with 242 Nm torque. The diesel variant on the other hand comes equipped with a 1.5-litre engine that churns out 113 bhp power and 250 Nm peak torque. The 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox along with 6-speed automatic gearbox as an option. The 1.4-litre turbo-petrol variant features a 6-speed manual gearbox and 7-speed DCT as an option.
If introduced in India, the seven-seater Kia Seltos is expected to compete with the likes of the upcoming Tata Gravitas. Furthermore, it can also be an affordable alternative to the Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner and Mahindra Alturas G4.