Kia India is gearing up to launch the next generation of the Seltos compact SUV in India. Like many new Kia products, this second generation Seltos is expected to make its global debut in India.
Kia India has recently employed a new strategy where it first unveils the car, then announces the prices sometime in the following weeks.
New Kia Seltos: Design
The new Kia Seltos will look quite different from the current model, as is the case with any new generation model. While the overall shape won't change much, the new Seltos will have fresh details like completely new headlamps, grilles, taillamps and some redesigned body panels.
The lighting structure is expected to be similar to the new Carnival, Carens Clavis, and Syros, keeping in line with Kia's new design philosophy. Recent spy shots show the new Seltos will get brand new alloy wheel designs and reworked ORVM design.
New Kia Seltos: Interior
While the interior has neither been spied or revealed yet, the new Seltos can be expected to come with a fresh cabin design. This will include a new dashboard, door trims, seats and centre console. The current Seltos already comes with a twin screen setup, the new one is expected to continue with the same layout. However, instead of the current 10.25-inch units, the new one could have the 12.3-inch units from either the Syros or the Carens Clavis.
Expect the new Seltos to come with a few new features but it will be interesting to see what that could be since the current one is already a benchmark in terms of features on offer. The next gen Seltos will definitely continue to have a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, ventilated front seats with powered adjustment and more.
New Kia Seltos: Safety
The new Seltos is expected to continue with the same setup with six airbags, electronic stability control, electronic parking brake, 360-degree camera and level 2 ADAS. The Seltos currently has a three-star rating from Global NCAP and we would like to see that improve to a 5-star rating with the new gen model.
New Kia Seltos: Powertrains
Currently, the Seltos comes with three engine options - a 1.5-litre NA petrol engine, a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. There are multiple gearbox options on offer too - a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed torque converter automatic, a 6-speed iMT, a CVT and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. We don't expect any changes in this department.
Globally though, we have heard speculations about a possible hybrid powertrain making way to the compact SUV.
New Kia Seltos: Price And Rivals
Expect the Kia Seltos to carry a slight premium compared to the current model. Expect the new model to cost around Rs 11.30 - 22 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The Seltos will rival the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki Victoris, Hyundai Creta, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Honda Elevate, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun.
The new Seltos could make its global debut towards the end of the year, like how Kia India has done with the Sonet facelift and Syros in the past two years. Just like those two cars, expect the same for the Seltos too.
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Kia Seltos Video Review