Kia Seltos bookings officially opened on 16th July 2019. The next day, Kia India surprised the auto industry by revealing the 1st day booking numbers. At a time when all car makers in India were posting heavy decline in sales, Kia had received over 6,000 bookings for Seltos on the 1st day!
Not many expected such numbers, especially when you consider the fact that this is Kia’s first car launch in India. The brand has never been on offer in the country, and in spite of that, buyers have shown amazing response to their new SUV.
About 21 days post the bookings opened, Kia has revealed that the Seltos booking numbers now stand at about 23,311 units. With launch still 14 days away, Kia is expected to cross the 30k mark in Seltos bookings by the time of launch on 22nd August. Production has now started at the company plant in Andhra Pradesh, which is spread over 536 acres, and has an annual production capacity of 3 lakh cars / 25,000 cars a month.
Mr. Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director & CEO of Kia Motors India said, “The roll-out of the first Seltos is an emotional moment for all of us, especially for the people at the plant as we worked together, relentlessly to build the future of Kia Motors in India. The invaluable contribution made by the government of Andhra Pradesh has enabled us to achieve our target of manufacturing the Seltos in record time. The first Seltos is the symbol of our promise and commitment of Kia to the Indian market.”
Official details of Kia Seltos have been revealed. It will be offered in two variants of HT Line and GT Line and in petrol and diesel engine options. Its dimensions stand at 4,315mm length, 1,800mm width, 1,620mm height and wheelbase of 2,610mm along with boot space of 433 liters.
It will be presented in 8 monotone and 5 dual tone color options. Exterior features include a tiger nose front grille, LED headlamps, DRLs and fog lamps, dual muffler design on bumper and dual exhausts. The Kia Seltos top variants get 17” crystal cut alloy wheels while the lower variants sit on 16” steel and alloy wheels.
Kia Seltos gets the most extensive array of connectivity features with the UVO Connect System comprising of 37 features across navigation, safety and security, vehicle management, remote control and convenience categories. The interiors also boast of a 10.25” touchscreen infotainment system with a 7” color MID, 8” head up display and a 400W Bose audio system.
It gets LED ambient lighting, leatherette seats, a flat bottom steering wheel, ventilated driver’s seat with 8 way power adjustable function and passenger seats with two step seat back recline of 26 and 32 degrees. The rear seats are in a 60:40 split function allowing for extra space in the boot area.
Kia Seltos will come in powered by BS VI compliant engines. The 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine will offer 140 PS power and 242 Nm torque mated to a 6 speed MT and 7 speed DCT. The 1.5 liter petrol engine will be capable of 115 PS power and 144 Nm torque mated to a 6 speed MT and IVT while the 1.5 liter diesel engine will offer 115 PS power and 250 Nm torque mated to a 6 speed MT or 6 speed AT.
