Kia Motors India has now become Kia India. The South Korean carmaker announced its rebranding in India today. Kia globally unveiled its new corporate logo and brand slogan - Movement that inspires - earlier in January this year and it has now made it to India. As part of its new strategy, Kia will launch refreshed versions of the Seltos and Sonet in the first week of May 2021. The carmaker also revealed that they will be entering a new segment by early 2022. Although Kia did not provide any specific details about this upcoming model, we speculate it could be the long awaited Ertiga-rivaling MPV from Kia.
Kia's fourth product for India will be an all-new MPV that will be much more affordable than the Carnival, which sits at the premium end of the segment. The upcoming MPV was spied testing in South Korea for the fist time earlier this month. Although the test mule was heavily wrapped in camouflage, it still gives us a rough idea of what to expect from Kia's upcoming three-row vehicle. The spy shots confirmed that the vehicle will have a proper three-row MPV silhouette. Interestingly, it will be sharing its platform with the Seltos (4,315mm-long), but will be lengthened to about 4.5 meters to accommodate the third-row of seats.
Also Read : Updated Kia Seltos and Sonet To Launch By Early May 2021
This upcoming MPV will likely be positioned between the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga (4,395mm in length) and the Toyota Innova Crysta (4,735mm in length) in the Indian market. It is expected to have dimensions similar to the Mahindra Marazzo (4,585mm in length). In terms of styling, as was previously seen in the spy images, the upcoming MPV will boast of wrap around headlamps that feature LED DRLs that look very similar to that of the Sonet. As usual, the front fascia will be dominated by a wide 'Tiger Nose' grille and other sharp styling elements. You can also expect a dollop of chrome at several places for some added bling.
Although we have not got a glimpse of the interior yet, in typical Kia fashion, it should be plenty well loaded with features. Some of the highlight features on this upcoming Kia MPV could include a smartphone connectivity, alloy wheels, DRLs, rear view camera, cruise control, power windows, push-button start, and ambient lighting across a majority of its range. Additionally, expect luxury and safety features like connected-car tech, sunroof, ventilated front seats, air purifier, 360-degree camera, blind spot monitor and head-up display to be offered on higher-spec trims of the MPV.
Internally codenamed the Kia KY, the upcoming MPV will be a global model. Under the hood, the Kia MPV will likely be powered by 1.5L petrol and diesel engines in India, the same that's offered with the Seltos. Expect the power and torque figures and the gearbox options to be similar to the Seltos as well. In comparison, rivals such as the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is a petrol-only model. Meanwhile, the Mahindra Marazzo is sold with a sole 1.5L diesel engine. This upcoming MPV is expected to be globally unveiled later this year before making it to India by early 2021. There are talk of a Hyundai version of this MPV too. However, that is unlikely to make it to our shores.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Kia updates and other four-wheeler news.
