From recent trademark filings in India, IndianAutosBlog.com can confirm that the Kia QYI will be unveiled in concept form as the Kia Sonet Concept and be launched as the Kia Sonet. In December, we had revealed to the world that the Kia QYI will likely be called Kia Sonet from trademark filings in South Korea.
The Kia Sonet concept will have its world premiere at Auto Expo 2020 tomorrow. Its production version, the Kia Sonet, has been officially confirmed to be launched in the second half of the year. Rest assured, India will be the first market worldwide to get this SUV in showrooms. The Anantapur plant could be the only manufacturing facility globally to build this model. Promotions for the concept version with teasers have already begun. The production version is already being tested on the roads.
The Kia Sonet will be a sub-compact B-SUV measuring no more than 4,000 mm in length. Thus, it will be levied with the least GST (on ICE SUVs) and be priced lower than the Kia Seltos. The chassis, engine and transmissions will be shared with the Hyundai Venue to keep the costs low.
Expect 115 PS 1.5L N/A petrol, 115 PS 1.5L turbocharged diesel and 120 PS 1.0L turbocharged petrol to be the engine options and 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch automatic (with only 1.0L engine) to be the transmission choices. Technically, it would be possible to offer the 1.5L diesel engine with a 6-speed AT and the 1.5L petrol engine with a CVT, but Kia may not do so to keep the count of configurations lower for higher profitability.
Also Read: Kia Seltos X-Line announced for Auto Expo 2020
The Kia Sonet will compete with the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza and Hyundai Venue. Expect it to be priced from around INR 7 lakh (ex-showroom).
