2022 Kia Seltos facelift will come with a full digital drivers display along with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
Kia India’s current portfolio consists of the Seltos compact SUV, Sonet sub-compact SUV, Carens MPV and Carnival luxury MPV. Following the launch of the new Carens, the company now gears up for the launch of the Seltos Facelift.
Launched in 2019, Kia Seltos has been a hot favourite in the highly competitive compact SUV segment in India. Sales charts show Seltos as the second-best performer in this segment, following Hyundai Creta. However, recently sales have been falling. This is likely due to the arrival of new competition in the form of Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq.
Road ahead is going to be even more difficult for Creta and Seltos in the segment, as Toyota and Maruti are entering the ring with Vitara and HyRyder. In fact, Toyota HyRyder compact SUV is getting ready for a global unveil on 1st July 2022, that is tomorrow. A day ahead of that, Kia has officially unveiled the 2022 Seltos SUV.
2022 Kia Seltos Facelift – Official
Kia has been testing the new Seltos facelift over the past several months. Earlier testing was on in South Korea while recently the SUV was on test in colder climes of Europe. It was also spied in India. Finally, we get to see the design details of the 2022 Kia Seltos Facelift, without the camo. Not only the exteriors, but interiors of 2022 Seltos facelift has also been revealed today.
Unlike the previous time, when Seltos made India-debut / launch first; 2022 Kia Seltos facelift will launch in international markets first followed by its debut in India. Seltos facelift sports a new front fascia with a revised headlamp unit and new LED DRLs. It will sport a new front grille which will be positioned lower than that seen on its current counterpart and a larger air-dam. It will also see new LED tail lamps and bumper at the rear while it will ride on a new set of alloy wheels.
Dimensions of the new Seltos will remain largely unchanged while the company could add some new exterior colours along with dual tone options as well. In the official images of 2022 Seltos, sunroof is not seen. It is likely to be on offer when launched in India. Just like Creta, new Seltos is also expected to get a panoramic sunroof, unlike the single pane sunroof it comes with currently.
2022 Kia Seltos Facelift – Interiors
Cabin updates will see revised upholstery in a new colour scheme. Two are seen in the official images – one with all black finish and the other with dual tone brown and black finish. It also gets a fully digital instrument cluster while it will also receive updated UVO connected car tech.
Seltos facelift is also likely to receive ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), though this could be restricted to its top spec variant. The official images of Seltos revealed today, does show the presence of a RADAR module to aid ADAS features.
Kia Motors will also be enhancing the safety quotient of the new Seltos with a total of 6 airbags offered as standard across all variants as was also seen in the case of the new Carens. This is in keeping with new safety norms that could be made mandatory from later this year wherein all cars should get 6 airbags as standard.
Kia Seltos Facelift – Engine Specs
As on date Kia Seltos is powered by 3 engine options that include a 114hp 1.5 liter naturally aspirated petrol engine, a 138 hp 1.4 liter turbocharged petrol engine and a 114hp 1.5 liter turbo-diesel unit. The engines get mated to manual and automatic gearbox options. The company could also introduce a mild hybrid version to comply with new CAFÉ and updated BSVI emission standards. With Toyota confirming AWD for HyRyder, there could also be an AWD Seltos option too, as seen in international-spec Seltos.
Likely to be launched in India by Diwali 2022 or early 2023, Kia Seltos facelift could be priced higher than its current counterpart that stands between Rs 9.95-18.10 lakh. New pricing could range between Rs 10.19-18.45 lakh. The Seltos facelift will continue to compete with Hyundai Creta (Creta facelift is also set for launch sometime in coming months), MG Astor, Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq as well as upcoming Toyota HyRyder and Maruti Vitara.
