Kia Seltos gets over 6,000 bookings on day one

Kia Motors India's first product, the Seltos, seems to have struck  the right chord with SUV buyers. Bookings opened yesterday and the company has reported receiving 6,046 bookings for the Seltos in one day. Good news for the company and for the beleaguered Indian automobile industry, 

Of these 6,046 bookings, 1,628 were made through the official website. Kia’s first model for India is available for booking online and at the company's showrooms across India. By the time the SUV goes on sale, Kia plans to have a network comprising of 265 touchpoints in 160 cities.

At launch, Kia Motors India will offer the Seltos with three BS VI-compliant engine options – 115hp, 1.5-litre petrol and diesel motors, and a 140hp, 1.4-litre turbo-petrol mill. All three engine will come with manual and automatic gearbox options (the 1.5 petrol has a CVT, the 1.5 diesel has a 6-speed torque convertor and the 1.4 petrol has a 7-speed dual-clutch option).

There is expected to be a Kia Seltos for nearly every midsize SUV budget with prices ranging from Rs 11 lakh to Rs 17 lakh (ex-showroom). The Seltos is likely to be available in eight variants – the 1.5 petrol line-up will start with the base GTK and end with the GTX+, while the diesel model’s base and top-spec trims will be called HTE and HTX+, respectively. The Seltos 1.4 turbo-petrol will only be offered on the sportier GT-Line variant that will feature a number of unique design elements.

While the features list for the base variants have not been revealed yet, the range-topping versions will boast features such as a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a head-up display, a 360-degree camera, a sunroof, multi-coloured ambient lighting, cooled front seats and a Bose audio system.

Commenting on the robust number of bookings, Manohar Bhat, vice-president, and head – Sales & Marketing, Kia Motors India, said, “Getting such an overwhelming response from customers across the 160 cities where we are present, is a remarkable feat and is a testament to Kia’s brand recognition and acceptability in India. The Seltos is BS VI compliant from day one and is available in both petrol and diesel, with both manual and automatic options in all powertrains. With our modern automotive plant having 300,000 units capacity, we are fully prepared to make on-time deliveries.” 

Kia India dealers say display cars will reach showroom by end of July, with customer test drives set to commence in early August. When it arrives in showrooms, the Kia Seltos will go head to head with the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Renault Captur, Nissan Kicks, Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV500, and the MG Hector.

The Seltos, which will be manufactured in Kia Motors India’s 536-acre Anantapur plant, will be officially launched in India on August 22. 

Also read: India’s Top 5 UVs in May 2019 – Creta topples Vitara Brezza, Ertiga shines, Venue debuts in best-sellers chart

Kia Seltos: midsize SUV with giant ambition