The mid-size compact SUV segment in India is refusing to cool down in 2019. First it was the Tata Harrier that grabbed all the headlines, and then came the MG Hector which became so famous, it was sold out for 2019. Then came the Kia Seltos, having already been presented by the brand, the bookings for the SUV were opened post reveal and the booking amount was set at Rs. 25,000. The bookings managed to reach 6,000 units on the very first day and created a new record. The South Korean maker’s first vehicle in the Indian market will be launched on 22nd August and before that the brand has stated that it will start the production of the SUV on 31st July. Kia has already appointed Tiger Shroff as the brand ambassador for the vehicle and it has started the marketing campaign around the vehicle as well.
The South Korean maker has also started establishing customer service and sales premises all over the country and has managed to prop up a network of 265 touchpoints, 206 sales centres, and 192 service stations in around 160 cities. This is a remarkable achievement as it ensures that the customers will have no trouble getting in touch with the brand at any point. With the production starting a few weeks before the launch, the brand wants to ensure that it fulfils the bookings for the SUV on time and does not face the situation that MG had to face with Hector where the Chinese owned brand had to shut bookings for the year due to limited production facilities.
The Seltos was first presented in the Indian market and it will be subsequently launched across the world as well because it is a global vehicle. Kia will make the car at its Anantapur plant and will export it across the world. The company had already conducted a trial production for the SUV at the start of this year. The brand has already started dispatching display units of the SUV to its dealerships in India but these units are not functional and are there for display purposes only.
Kia Seltos also comes with a bevy of unique features to boast of. Among the most unique feature is the presence of a high-end Bose tuned speaker setup that is also paired with the ambient mood lighting of the cabin. There is also a large 10.25 inch infotainment system present in the cabin that comes with support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Another unique feature of the Seltos will be presence of a Head-Up Display unit that will display vital information for the driver.
Coming to the engine and transmission offerings of the SUV, the petrol units will be a 1.5L naturally aspirated unit rated to deliver 113 Bhp and 138 Nm. The next option in the petrol line-up will be a 1.4L turbo petrol unit rated to deliver 138 Bhp and 242 Nm. Moving on to the diesel option, the diesel unit will be a 1.5L turbo unit rated to deliver 113 Bhp and 250 Nm. Among the automatic options, the first automatic gearbox option that will be offered with the 1.5L petrol unit will be CVT automatic unit. The second option will be a 7-speed twin clutch automatic gearbox that will be offered with the 1.4L turbo petrol model. Lastly, the third automatic option will be a 6 speed torque converter automatic unit that will be offered with the diesel engine. The manual gearbox will be standard on all trims.