Kia India introduces refreshed RDE-compliant vehicle lineup in Seltos, Sonet, Carens

Kia India has introduced its refreshed RDE-compliant vehicle line-up with an updated powertrain and additional features in the Seltos, the Sonet, and the Carens. This is aligned with the Government of India’s vision for cleaner emissions with the transition to Phase II of BS6 norms. 

The new line-up comes with an enhanced petrol powertrain which is now compatible with the E20 fuel. While the petrol engine in Sonet remains unchanged, the turbo petrol engine in Carens – the Smartstream G1.4 T-GDi is now replaced by the Smartstream G1.5 T-GDi which churns out 160PS of power and 253 Nm of Maximum torque between 1500 to 3500 RPM. 

In the Diesel powertrains, the Sonet’s 1.5 CRDi WGT has been replaced by the 1.5 CRDi VGT with an enhanced power output of 116 PS from the earlier 100 PS. The same engine in Seltos and Carens get minute power output enhancement, offering 116 PS from the earlier 115 PS. 

Keeping the success of iMT in mind, the 6iMT now comes as a standard transmission in the diesel and the Petrol turbo variants of all Kia India models currently on shelf. With this move, the Manual Transmission is now only available in variants of Seltos and Carens with Smartstream G1.5 naturally aspirated engine and in variants of Sonet with Smartstream G1.2 naturally aspirated engine.

Along with the powertrain-related changes, the brand also introduced the ISG (Idle Stop Go) feature, standard across all the models. Offering an intuitive connected experience, the Kia Connect Skill for Amazon Alexa has been added as a connected car feature, which is also available for EV6 customers. 

The updated line-up is now available across Kia dealerships in India starting at Rs 7.79 lakhs, Rs 10.89 lakhs, and Rs 10.45 lakhs for the Sonet, the Seltos, and the Carensrespectively.

Commenting on the development, Tae-Jin Park, MD & CEO, Kia India, said, "With the launch of the EV6 in India and committing a home-grown EV by 2025, we reflected our commitment to align our product strategy with the Indian government’s electric vision. Now with the RDE norms coming into effect, we are delighted to offer our contribution once again to the government’s efforts to keep the environment clean and green."

He further added that with the enhanced powertrains and added features, their vehicles had become even more sophisticated, instating the feeling of pride in customers, of owning a Kia. The upgrades in the powertrain, combined with advanced features like Kia Connect Skill for Alexa and ISG would ensure convenience and fun-to-drive experience for customers. He further stated that with these changes, the company reiterated its commitment towards the Indian market and pledge to keep up with the government’s vision of sustainable mobility.