Kia Motors India debuted its Sonet subcompact crossover as a concept at Auto Expo 2020
It is not news that newcomer Kia Motors India has big plans for our market. At the moment, the South Korean automaker has got only two products in its Indian portfolio: Seltos compact crossover and Carnival minivan. Meanwhile, the company is almost ready with its Sonet subcompact (sub-four-metre) crossover.
The all-new Kia Sonet made its Indian debut as a concept at Auto Expo 2020. It shares its internals with Hyundai Motor India’s Venue and is aimed to make a strong presence in India’s growing segment of “compact SUVs”. Kia Motors India has scheduled the crossover’s global debut on August 7 after a considerable delay in plans caused by COVID-19.
Over the months, we have shared multiple spy shots of the Kia Sonet doing test runs across various parts of the country, in test mule avatar. As expected, all of them were heavily camouflaged and revealed minimal details of the final product. Now, for the very first time, a near-production-ready Kia Sonet has been caught on camera with virtually zero forms of disguise. Here are some interesting details:
Kia Sonet Design & Styling
The example you see here could be a base model since it lacks alloy wheels and makes-do with wheel caps. Evidently, the engineers and designers have tried their best at providing decent cabin space without expanding the vehicle’s exteriors to over four metres in length,
Tail lamps seem to carry over the full-LED headlamp cluster design. They are made into a single unit although the middle section is just a reflector. The bumpers, which wear an unusually broad skidplate, also houses a pair of reflectors. A glimpse of the interiors shows its rear AC vents.
The original concept format was quite a good-looking product but the final version seems to be trimmed down to a greater extent than usual. At least from these pictures, the Sonet looks a bit bland. Higher variants with bigger and wider wheels might look significantly better.
Kia Sonet Engine Specs
The Sonet would most likely borrow power plants from its Hyundai sibling in the exact state of tune — just like the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta. In BS6 format, the Hyundai Venue is offered with three engine options: 82bhp/114Nm 1.2-litre NA petrol (5-speed manual), 99bhp/240Nm 1.5-litre diesel (6-speed manual) and 118bhp/172Nm 1.0-litre turbo petrol (6-speed manual or 7-speed DCT).
However, the market is eagerly waiting for its iMT (intelligent Manual Transmission) option. The industry-leading ‘almost automatic’ system essentially lets the driver use a conventional gear lever without a clutch pedal — understand iMT.
