Kia Motors India launches new Seltos at Rs 969,000

The wait is over, both for SUV aficionados and SUV OEMs in India. Kia Motors has officially launched its first product for India – the Seltos – and that too at very aggressive pricing. The Korean carmaker's pricing strategy for all of 16 variants covers virtually every price point and starts from Rs 969,000 (for the entry level petrol Smartstream G1.5 HTE model) and goes up to Rs 15.99 lakh (for the diesel 1.5 CRDi HTX plus (6AT) and Petrol Smartstream 1.4 T – Gdi GTX (7DCT) and GTX plus top-end variant).  

The BS VI-compliant midsize SUV available in both petrol and diesel variants with manual and automatic transmission options. And, given that the company has already received over 32,000 bookings for the Seltos even before the pricing was announced, expect demand for the latest SUV in town to grow sharply.  

L-R: Kookhyun Shim, MD & CEO, Kia Motors India; actor Tiger Shroff; Yong S Ki, Executive Director & CSO; and Manohar Bhat, Vice-President & Head - Sales & Marketing, at the launch of the Kia Seltos in Mumbai.

Speaking at the SUV's launch in Mumbai, Kookhyun Shim, MD and CEO, Kia Motors India said, “The Seltos has been one of the most ambitious projects for Kia Motors and even more so for Kia Motors India. The Seltos marks the arrival of Kia in India for the first time, and we have put our heart and soul into this product. The Seltos is all about surprising everyone with its premium features, distinctive design, supreme quality, refined and powerful engine options, addictive performance and so much more. It is BS-VI compliant and has undergone extensive testing to meet emission norms even with the currently available BS-IV fuel, which makes it future-proof." 

"With the most advanced set of engine, fuel and transmission options in the Seltos, we are confident to address all the unmet needs of the segment today. For the new-age digital savvy customer, we have also designed a complete digital journey from booking, sales and delivery to aftersales service, thereby ensuring the most evolved ownership experience ever. I am confident that Seltos will redefine the entire mid-SUV segment in India. ”

Size matters
In terms of dimensions, the Seltos is 4,315mm long, 1,800mm wide and 1,620mm high, which makes it a bit longer and wider than the Hyundai Creta. Up front, it sports Kia’s ‘Tiger Nose’ grille which is flanked by automatic LED headlights with LED DRLs along with a faux skid-plate. At the back, the LED tail-lights are connected by a chrome strip which sports the Kia logo.

Positioned lower are faux twin-exhaust outlets and a skid plate. Inside, buyers can choose between two interior colour schemes. The GT Line is the sportier of the two and features an all-black theme with red stitching. Meanwhile, the Tech-Line is the more luxurious option featuring beige seats with a hexagonal pattern and beige stitching.

Top-of-the-line Seltos models come equipped with a massive 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. Additionally, the touchscreen gets Kia’s UVO Connect suite (like Hyundai’s BlueLink system) which comes with 37 features under five categories (Navigation, Safety and Security, Vehicle Management, Remote Control and Convenience). It also gets leather upholstery, an electric sunroof, automatic climate control, 17-inch alloys, an eight-speaker Bose sound system, an in-car air purifier, cruise control, a head-up display, a 360-degree parking camera and ambient lighting. As for safety the top-spec Seltos trims feature six airbags, ABS, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist, front and rear parking sensors and a blind-spot view monitor. 

Three BS VI engines: two petrols and one diesel
The Seltos comes with three BS VI-compliant engine options – two petrols and one diesel. The 1.5-litre petrol engine churns out 115hp and 144Nm of torque and is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a CVT automatic option. The 1.4-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol engine is good for 140hp and 242Nm of peak torque and comes with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. 

The diesel engine displaces 1.5 litres and makes 115hp and 250Nm of torque, mated to 6-speed manual or torque convertor automatic gearbox options. The SUV gets three drive modes (Normal, Eco and Sport) and even terrain modes (Wet, Mud and Sand) which one can select using a rotary knob positioned on the centre console.

Making buying a hassle-free affair  
To ease the buying process, particularly in the current depressed market conditions, Kia Motors India has partnered 8 leading banks to help customers get the most attractive financing options with the lowest interest rates and desired payback period. The carmaker also has an online purchase process, which begins with booking, selection, to financing and closes with delivery.  Two leading banks have tied up with the company to offer a complete online financing option to customers as well.

The Seltos will be sold through Kia’s 265 touchpoints across 160 cities in India that are already operational. The service network is supported by a digitised, IoT-enabled Kia LINK app to efficiently manage service lifecycle. An expansive spare parts network ensures spare parts are available across the country through four Parts Depots in Chennai, Navi Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Kolkata. 

Kia offers a 3-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with a 2-year extension option. Key rivals to the Kia Seltos include the Hyundai Creta, the Mahindra XUV500, the Renault Captur, the Nissan Kicks and the MG Hector.

Click here for Kia Seltos prices, reviews, images, videos and more details  

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