Kia Confirms SP2i Concept’s Production Version to Launch in India by Seltos Name

• Published On: 28 June 2019
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Kia SP2i concept’s production model to launch as Seltos in India.

We had already informed you that the production version of Kia SP2i Concept SUV had been spotted with the nameplate of Seltos. Now the South Korean brand has confirmed that their first vehicle in India will indeed be sold under the name of Seltos in the country. There were some speculations that the brand may bring the SUV to the Indian market under a different name, a trend that is quite widespread. However, now that the brand has confirmed that the production version of the SP2i Concept will indeed come to the Indian market under the name of Seltos, this should put a rest to all rumors. Talking of the name of the upcoming SUV, the name itself is inspired from the Greek legend of ‘Celtos’, who was the son of Hercules. Kia has replaced C with S to signify speed, sportiness and strength.

Kia Seltos will be presented in country on June 20. Upon launch, the Seltos will be placed in the compact SUV segment and will lock horns with SUVs like the Tata Harrier and Mahindra XUV500 in the Indian market. Although, the upcoming SUV from Kia is based on the platform that underpins the new version of its sister company Hyundai’s Creta, Kia will place the Seltos above the Hyundai offering in the market. The Seltos is supposed to be a more premium offering with loaded interiors and features list. The feature list is likely to come loaded with offerings like electric parking brake, electric sunroof, ambient light, 10.2 inch touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, hill hold assist, quiet mode with driver-talk mode for the Bluetooth interface, ventilated seats, driving modes, steering assist modes, adaptive cruise control, ambient lighting, idle-stop function and paddle shifters.

Speaking about the upcoming vehicle from the brand, the head of marketing and sales at Kia Motors India, Manohar Bhat stated,

Seltos is all set to redefine the mid-SUV car segment with its eye-catching looks, exclusive segment first features and athletic design. We have spent a lot of time in perfecting our car to suit the taste of the Indian customers and I am glad that this originally India intended car is so perfect that it compelled us to make Seltos available globally. The car looks absolutely stunning and very closely matches the SP2i Concept we showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo. I am confident that Kia Seltos would be an outright favorite when it hits the roads in the next few months.

As far as the under the hood department is concerned, there are chances Kia will fit their first car in India with a 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine rated to deliver around 140 Bhp. While the diesel option, it could be either a 1.6L or 1.4L turbocharged engine. The South Korean brand plans on launching one car every six months, and a more powerful version of their first vehicle is also on cards. The transmission duties may be handled by a 6 speed manual gearbox and a torque converter automatic gearbox. As already stated, the Seltos will rivals the likes of Tata Harrier and Mahindra XUV500, but it will be smaller than the two as far as size is concerned.