Kia Motors Launches Hottest Midsize Seltos Urban SUV
Kia Motors launched its first product in India, the Seltos SUV on August 22, 2019. Seltos was first showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo, New Delhi. The SP concept SUV took the market by surprise as six thousand models were booked within the first few hours after the pre-booking started, with the booking amount set at Rs 25,000.
Sales taking off vis a vis competition
The Seltos is right now the hottest midsize SUV in the market. It is contesting against the Hyundai Creta, Mahindra XUV500, Tata Harrier and MG Hector. Its sales are already looking promising so far with the bookings.
Kia Motors has developed Seltos particularly for the Indian market; the overall design looks really sleek and modern. It has LED headlamps with heartbeat DRLs giving the car a unique look. The tail lamps are also boldly shaped adding to the robust look. The front facia sports a wide grille with chrome accents. Angular detailing on the face and the hood, and bold claddings which incorporate silver skid plates add a sense of modernity to the design, make it a serious contender to the current market occupants in the very first glance. It looks a bit similar to Creta in the way the pillars are designed, but the rising window line, sculpting on rear haunches and the chrome bar which insets into the tail lamps as well as dual exhaust give it a unique and beautiful signature look. The alloy wheels, the sunroof styling and the silver roof rails partner to build upon its modern styling.
Available in multiple variants
Kia motors have made the Seltos available in two design lines the Tech line and the GT line. This is the first time that the GT line has been made available in the SUV market. The Tech line is focused to achieve the goals of comfort and premium looks, whereas the GT is more youth oriented and adds a sporty and edgy character appeal to the car. The Seltos is available in petrol, turbo petrol, and diesel versions, customers also have an option to choose from Eco, Normal and sport variant.
Mood lighting adds to style
If you are impressed by the exterior, the interior is going to make you fall in love. Lightweight leather seats with enamel/ off-white and grey colored interiors provide for a soothing yet contemporary look. The seats are made for maximum comfort with specially designed structure to provide ventilation to the driver and the front passenger. The back seats can also recline, enabling the freedom to change posture with ease, enhancing passenger comfort. There’s also the ambient mood lighting that adds for a bit of visual drama in the vehicle.
The UVO technology is an advanced connectivity system by KIA motors. Though available only in the higher spec variants of the Seltos, it is an amazing feature to have. It seamlessly integrates the car and its infotainment system with your smartphone, making them a single unit. It provides features like live traffic information, destination sharing both to and from the car, live car tracking, find my car feature, etc.
Top notch safety for passengers
Car styling is, however, not the only thing emphasized here, and with features like 10.25 HD touch screen with navigation and UVO connected technology, air bags, electronic stability control (ESC), hill-start assist control (HAC), vehicle stability management (VAM), and anti lock braking system, safety comes top notch too. It also has 360 degree camera with blind view monitor and driving view monitor. Disk brakes on all wheels and a tire pressure monitor all ensure the safety of the passengers.
The engine in Seltos is BS VI compliant and has a capacity of 1.5 litres in petrol and diesel with a 6 speed manual transmission and also 6 speed torque convertor with the diesel variant. In the turbo petrol version, a 1.4 litre with direct injection is mated to a 6 speed transmission and a dual clutch 7 speed automatic gearbox.
The Seltos is available in a variety of colours. Red, black, blue, orange, glacier white, clear white, grey and silver are the options available in single tone and dual tone options include red and black, glacier white and black, silver and black, glacier white and orange.
Conclusion
KIA motors was founded in 1944 and is the oldest Korean manufacturer of automobiles. It produces around three million vehicles per year at its fourteen manufacturing and assembly operations in five countries. It is famous for its quality and design appeal. True to its slogan, “the power to surprise”, it never ceases to amaze its customers with latest technology and exquisite styling.
In April 2017 KIA made a 1.1 billion USD investment in India and signed MOU with the Andhra Pradesh Government to build its first manufacturing facility in India, in the Anantapur district. The facility is promised to have a production capacity of three hundred thousand per year. In addition to the launch, the company has also assured over two hundred and sixty Kia-Customer touch points across sixty cities that the car has been made available in.
