2020 and 2021 will see plenty of 7-seat SUV launches in India. A spectacular rendering of a 7-seat Kia Seltos created by automotive illustrator Shoeb Kalania makes us wish it too would be included in that list.
The Kia Seltos is an exemplar of B-SUV design, at least for customers preferring traditional SUV traits it is. Perhaps, that’s the reason why Kalania has kept the design mostly untouched for its 7-seat version. The three-row SUV has just a distinctive chrome-studded radiator grille, a revised front bumper and unique alloy wheels to differentiate itself.
Kia has confirmed that technically it is possible to make a Seltos seven-seater. However, the company is more interested in having a presence in the less crowded segments. So, instead, it has decided to go for a compact MPV.
The Kia compact MPV, like the Kia Sonet, will be an India strategic model. We know that a Hyundai compact MPV is also in the works, for Indonesia. These models could share the same type of relationship as the Kia Sonet and the Hyundai Venue. It’d be interesting to see if Kia puts sliding rear doors as a segment-first feature on its model in our market. There’s no doubt that the Kia Carnival is changing the perception of sliding rear doors positively among Indians.
Kia may offer the new compact MPV in India with the same 1.5L N/A petrol, 1.4L turbocharged petrol and 1.5L turbocharged diesel engines as the Seltos. It should equip this model with more comfort and convenience features like an electric parking brake, a panoramic sunroof and LED reading lamps among others.
Also Read: 2021 Kia Carnival to be available as a 4 seater as well - Lexus LM in sight?
Kia will launch the aforementioned compact MPV in India sometime in 2021. With the launch of this model, the company aims to fully utilise the annual production capacity of its Anantapur plant (3,00,000 units).
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Kia updates and other four-wheeler news.
[Image Source: youtube.com]
