Kia Seltos launch on August 22, 2019

Kia Seltos will rival the Hyundai Creta, MG Hector, Tata Harrier and the Mahindra XUV500.

Published On Jun 27, 2019 03:04:00 PM

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Kia Motors India will launch its first product for our market, the Seltos SUV on August 22, 2019. The new SUV from Kia saw its world premiere recently in New Delhi. We also reported a few days ago that the company would announce the Seltos' price sometime in late August.

The Seltos will sit right in the middle of the hotly contested midsize SUV market in India that includes stalwarts like the Hyundai Creta, the Mahindra XUV500, the Renault Captur, Nissan Kicks and the aggressively priced MG Hector.

Three BS6-compliant engine options will be available on the Seltos in India – a 1.5-litre petrol offered with a 6-speed manual and CVT, a 1.5-litre diesel mated to a 6-speed manual and 6-speed torque converter and a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol with direct injection mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The 1.4-litre engine will be sold only on the sportier GT-Line trim that will get unique cosmetic bits inside out.

Higher-spec variants of the Seltos will come with a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a head-up display, 360-degree around view camera, a sunroof, multi-colour ambient lighting, cooled front seats and a Bose audio system.

While most Kia India dealerships are in the final stages of completion, a handful have already opened bookings for the Seltos on an unofficial basis. We spoke to a few dealers in New Delhi who told us that the booking amount is set at Rs 25,000. Kia Motors India is expected to announce the official commencement of bookings sometime around mid-July 2019.

As reported by us earlier, the Seltos is 4.3m-long and will be available in a variety of exterior colours. The single-tone options include red, black, blue, orange, Glacier White, Clear White, grey and silver, and the dual-tone combinations offered are red/black, glacier white/black, silver/black and Glacier White/Orange.

We expect Kia to price the Seltos from Rs 11 lakh, going all the way up to around Rs 17 lakh for the top variant (ex-showroom). Kia Motors India has also confirmed that it plans to set up 265 touchpoints across 160 cities once the SUV goes on sale.