Admist the teasers and image leaks revealing the design of the SUV, Kia Motors has finally unveiled the much awaited and highly anticipated Seltos SUV at its global debut in India.
Born out of the SP21 Concept, the Seltos stays true to design first seen on the SP 21 concept. Kia says the Seltos brings sophistication, assertiveness, cutting edge-technology and safety features to the compact SUV segment.
The face wears the 3-D diamond effect tiger grille flanked by distinctive and sharp looking LED headlamps and daytime running lights that merge into the grille in what is a heartbeat like layout. Also attractive looking are the LED side indicators that are placed below the headlamp, while the bumper receives a sporty design with cube like LED fog lights and a chrome wrapped skid plate.
The side profile looks perfectly balanced with a large glasshouse and a neat window line that rises towards the rear lending a smart look. It also gets robust shoulder line and chunky roof rails, The big wheel arches look perfectly shaped shod in high grip 215/55 R16 or 215/60 R17 or 235/45 R18 tyres mated to crystal cut 16,17 or 18-inch alloy wheels.
The rear end of the Seltos receives LED taillights that blend into the chunky chrome bar that runs across the length of the bootlid. Lower down too there’s plenty of busy design with dual exhausts with a thin chrome strip running across, a large sized skid plate and black protective cladding as well.
The interior however is still under wraps and while we do know the overall design of the dash, it’s the equipment and connected features that will leave you wanting for more. Said to be clean and understated, the dashboard gets very to very less buttons in favour of a neat and smart look.
The cabin can also be fitted with an optional sound mood lighting system that can emit soft light from panels in the doors. This includes a unique 3D-patterned surface on the door panels. The Sound Mood Lighting system pulses in time to the beat of music playing through the audio system, with eight customizable colours and six themes illuminating the cabin.
Buyers will particularly appreciate the 10.25 inch touchscreen infortainment system that will come loaded to the gills with features. The system will come with an UVO app that will be usable to control the entertainment and connected tech as well. The UVO app in entertainment side will be compatible to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Also on offer will be an 8-speaker Bose sound system, split screen functionality that will allow users to customize the screen to display upto 3 applications simultaneously.
On the connected side the UVO app will allow for controlling the traffic, weather forecasts and diagnostic data about the car and trips taken. The UVO system is free to users for the first three years, and includes stolen vehicle notification and tracking, safety alerts, auto collision notification and emergency assistance.
Kia may also introduce the Seltos GT line in India
Under the hood the Seltos will be powered by a range of highly efficient Smartstream petrol and diesel engines. The engines include a 1.6 litre T-GDI turbocharged engine that produces 177 PS, a 2.0 litre naturally aspirated motor developing 149PS and a 1.6 litre diesel mill churning out 136PS. Transmission options will include upto three automatic that include a 7-speed dual clutch auto, a 6-speed torque convertor auto and a continuously variable transmission or CVT. Further boosting the driving experience in the Seltos will be the three drive modes that include Normal, Eco and Sport.
Kia Motors has also stuffed the Seltos with safety features to ensure best protection whenever required. The body of the Seltos is made up of a blend of steel and aluminum maximizing torsional rigidity while keeping the body weight low. The Seltos is fitted with six airbags, traction control system, brake force assist system, hill start assist as well as front and rear parking sensors. It also gets Kia’s stability management system incorporating traction control and electronic stability control.
The Kia Seltos will be produced at two of the Kia’s production facilities in Anatapur District in Andra Pradesh and Gwangju, Korea. It is due on sale in global markets from the second half of 2019, while Indian markets by August end.
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