Kia Motors India has unveiled the Seltos compact SUV and yes, we all are waiting for the company to launch the car. The Kia Seltos will be launched in India in August 2019. We still do not have a confirmation on the date but it will be in the second half of that month. The company has invested more than $2 billion in India and the Seltos is the first of many product offerings to come to the country. The Seltos will be exported to other markets too from India including Latin America, the Middle East and other parts of Asia, which shows how important a product it is for Kia Motors globally. It is also equipped with a host of segment-first features which should give it an edge in its segment.
The Kia Seltos enters a very crowded segment which has seen more players enter than ever before. Of course it has to deal with contenders like the Hyundai Creta, which has been the segment leader, but there are newer challengers to deal with too, the Tata Harrier and even the first connected compact SUV – the MG Hector.
But while the Seltos too is a connected car, there are a host of segment first features that it brings to the table. To begin with, it’s the first carmaker to make a car available in a dual trim option. It also gets a first in segment 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation. Adding to the premiumness, is an 8-speaker sound system by Bose. Kia has also provided an air purifier which has been placed between the front two seats and provides for an AC vent for rear seat passengers. There’s a 360 degree surround camera added to the segment first list as well which provides for better visibility.
So, the Seltos becomes the second connected compact SUV after the MG Hector. Kia calls it UVO and you can, just like we’ve seen in the Venue, use your phone to operate the car’s ignition, AC controls and more. There’s also Apple Carplay and Android Auto on offer. That’s not the end of the segment first features yet, the Seltos SUV also gets an 8 inch heads up display which gives you all the information you need without being distracted. There’s also a sound mood lamp, rear sunshade curtain and a 7-inch colour TFT unit for the instrument console, which add to the premiumness of the Seltos.
With all these features expect the Seltos to be priced competitively and that’s because of the local content that it gets. The Seltos is expected to be priced between ₹ 11 lakh – ₹ 17 lakh when it’s launched, but we’ll know more about the car when we drive it and also at the launch.