Kia Sonet made its debut today at the 2020 Auto Expo. It is a sub 4 meter compact SUV, which is based on Hyundai Venue.
Kia Motors has finally taken wraps off their sub 4 meter SUV, which will soon launch in India. Kia Sonet will take on the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue and Tata Nexon in the 5 seater, sub 4 meter SUV segment. It will be seen sporting the same underpinnings as the Hyundai Venue.
Its exterior and interior makeup will be radically different, Kia says that the design has been inspired by Elephant. It sports an aggressive bumper design, chunky fenders, large wheels and wrap around LED tail lamps.
Red accents can be seen on the grille, lower portion of the door and on the wheels while there are blacked out pillars and wing mirrors. The Sonet will also get a raked windshield and will sit on 16” diamond cut alloy wheels.
The interiors will be seen with several components borrowed from the Hyundai Venue. It could offer a free standing touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a multifunction steering wheel, automatic AC unit, UVO connect features and a digital instrument console. It will also be seen with a sunroof, a multifunction steering wheel, ventilated seats, wireless charging, etc.
The engine set up for the new Sonet compact SUV will include a 1.0 liter, 3 cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine, a 1.2 liter, 4 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.5 liter diesel engine, all of which are sourced from existing Hyundai and Kia cars. The engines will be offered with automatic as well as manual transmission option.
The South Korean automaker is expected to introduce the sub-4m crossover during the festival season this year (sometime between September and November). The car will be manufactured at Kia India’s Anantapur factory and will have high level of localization to arrive at a competitive pricing. Having said that, Kia is likely to maintain a premium brand recall.
The Kia Seltos has managed to set a firm base for the brand in the country and this would certainly help the Sonet to emerge as yet another sales success.