Kia has increased prices of several of its cars multiple times this year. The new Seltos was launched earlier this year in July in the price range of Rs 10.89 lakh to Rs 19.99 lakh. Updated Seltos has generated strong market response, with over 50k bookings in just around two months of its launch. In case of Carens, the last price hike was announced in March 2023. At that time, prices were increased by up to Rs 50k.
During the festive season, it is common for OEMs to announce attractive discounts and offers. However, OEMs can also consider increasing prices in case there is a sizeable buyer queue. The decision to increase prices may also be linked solely to the rise in production cost. OEMs try to absorb the rise in input cost as much as possible. However, some of it has to be eventually passed on to consumers.
With Sonet sales taking a hit in anticipation of upcoming facelift version, Carens has emerged as the second best selling Kia car in August 2023. Kia will be increasing Carens prices by up to 5%. Depending on the variant, the price hike could be in the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. Carens competes with the likes of Hyundai Alcazar, Maruti XL6, Toyota Innova Crysta and Maruti Ertiga.
New Seltos was launched recently. This will be the first price hike for new Seltos. It is currently available at a starting price of Rs 10.89 lakh. From October 01, 2023, prices will be increased by up to 2 percent.
Seltos price hike will apply across the range, including the two new variants that were launched earlier this month. The new variants, GTX+ (S) and X-Line (S), are currently priced at Rs 19,39,900 for petrol 7DCT variant and Rs 19,59,900 for diesel 6AT variant. The new Seltos variants have 17 autonomous ADAS Level 2 functions.
By adding ADAS, Kia has made Seltos an attractive option in compact SUV segment. Even its sibling Hyundai Creta does not have ADAS. It will take around 4-5 months for Creta to get ADAS when the facelift version is launched. In compact SUV segment, other models that offer ADAS include MG Astor and recently launched Honda Elevate.
While Kia is increasing prices of Seltos and Carens, there won’t be any changes to these cars. Engine options are the same for both Seltos and Carens. The 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor churns out 115 PS of max power and 144 Nm of peak torque. While 6-MT is common across both Seltos and Carens, the former gets an additional IVT gearbox as well. The 1.5-litre turbo petrol motor generates 160 PS and 253 Nm. Transmission choices include 6iMT and 7DCT. The 1.5-litre diesel makes 116 PS and 250 Nm. It is mated to either a 6iMT or 6AT.
This post was last modified on September 27, 2023 5:38 am