In addition to a few imports, Kia's upcoming launches in India will include even a new locally manufactured SUV. This model, codenamed 'QYi', will be a sub-4 metre SUV. Here's a new spy video showing it undergoing road testing in India, courtesy YouTube channel Born Creator.
Kia had a highly successful first-innings with its maiden product in India - the 'Seltos'. The company sold 2,184 units of Seltos on Dhanteras (last Friday). Now, the automaker is in a mood to raise the stakes much higher with a Maruti Vitara Brezza rival in India. This product will be a mechanical twin of the Hyundai Venue and thus will be a more economical offering, making the brand more accessible. In this case, Kia has already established its image as a niche brand with the Seltos which has been very well received by the Indian audience. Now its time for Kia to milk upon its brand value.
The overall shape and proportions of the upcoming Kia's sub-4 metre SUV will be similar to the Hyundai Venue but its design will be entirely different which will make it a definite Kia product. As seen in the video (above), it'll make use of rectangular tail lamps (with L-shaped LED light guide) instead of the squarish tail lamps seen on the Venue. Apart from that, the front-end will sport a given Kia's signature Tigernose grille.
As for the mechanicals, the Maruti Vitara Brezza rival may make use of a 120 PS 1.0L T-GDI turbocharged petrol engine, a 115 PS 1.5L MPI naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 115 PS 1.5L CRDi turbocharged diesel engine. While a 6-speed manual transmission should be offered as standard and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission will most likely be offered with a turbocharged petrol engine.
Also Read: Kia Seltos gathers 60,000+ bookings in India, production ramped up
The new Kia's upcoming sub-4 metre compact SUV will likely be displayed in a near-production avatar at Auto Expo 2020. Its launch is expected in mid-2020. It is set to lock horns with Hyundai Venue, Maruti Brezza, Mahindra XUV300, Tata Nexon and Ford EcoSport. It might not enjoy the same level of global significance as the Hyundai Venue because Kia already sells the Stonic in select worldwide markets.
