Kia Seltos diesel with manual gearbox launched at Rs 12 lakh

Kia India has launched the manual gearbox-equipped Seltos diesel. Priced from Rs 12 lakh (ex-showroom), this model with the 6-speed manual joins the recently refreshed Seltos line-up. With the new diesel-manual option, the Seltos is now available with a manual, iMT,  torque convertor automatic, CVT automatic (IVT) and DCT automatic gearbox options, depending on the engine selected.

1. Seltos diesel-MT priced from Rs 12 lakh
2. Seltos GT Line, X-Line do not get diesel-MT option
3. Creta diesel-MT starts at Rs 12.45 lakh

Seltos diesel manual makes a comeback

In a bid to push more iMT gearbox-equipped SUVs, Kia India had slowly pulled the plug on the Seltos diesel-manual from the Indian market last year. However, sales of the iMT models haven’t been on par with the manual gearbox-equipped models in general. Also, the Seltos’ arch-rival, the recently facelifted Creta, gets a diesel-manual variant, leaving Kia with no option but to reintroduce the manual in order to continue attracting buyers. The facelifted Creta does not get the diesel-iMT option anymore.

The Seltos diesel-MT comes with the same 116hp, 1.5-litre engine that sees duty on a long list of Kia and Hyundai products, including the Creta. As far as equipment levels go, the Seltos diesel-MT gets the same features list as its automatic counterparts. Key features include a panoramic sunroof, an ADAS bundle, six airbags, 360-degree cameras, dual-zone climate control, a heads-up display, two 10.25-inch screens and a Bose-tuned 8-speaker music system.

The Seltos diesel-MT is available in HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX and HTX+ variants, with the top-spec trim priced at Rs 18.28 lakh – slightly lower than the top-spec Creta diesel-MT, which costs Rs 18.74 lakh (ex-showroom). Kia has not introduced this powertrain option on the Seltos GT Line and X-Line variants.

The brand has also announced that it has sold over 65,000 units of the facelifted Seltos since its launch in July last year. Bookings for the Seltos diesel-MT are currently open, with deliveries slated to commence next month.