Kia Motors India has received a stupendous response for its maiden product in India i.e. the Seltos mid-sized SUV. With Seltos’ monthly sales figures exceeding 14,000 units, Kia, last month, stood as the 4th largest carmaker in India by sales. The Hyundai owned South Korean automaker has announced that it will introduce its second product in India, a premium MPV in the same segment as the Innova Crysta sometime during the first half of 2020. In sync with the brand’s plan to introduce a new vehicle in India every six months until 2022, the launch of the premium MPV will be followed by that of another product debut during the second half of 2020.
Kia is yet to officially state as to what this product is going to be and in which segment it will compete in. However, recently, test mules of a heavy camouflaged SUV from Kia Motors have been spotted testing in India roads. Due to the camouflage, it is difficult to comment on the design of the same. That said, it is still quite evident that the vehicle in question is a sub-4-meter vehicle.
The demand for bulky-bodied soft-roaders is on a continuous rise in India. The demand for the Seltos is a testament to that. Hence, it would make sense for Kia to introduce a sub-4-meter SUV in India, as its third offering, and cash in on this buyer sentiment.
Current media reports state that this new offering from Kia Motors is codenamed as the QYI and that it is based on the same platform as that of the Hyundai Venue. This could very well be the case and makes sense when we think about economies of scale for the brand.
Apart from sharing its platform with the Venue, the Kia QYI SUV is likely to share its powertrain line-up with the same as well. The Hyundai Venue is available with a choice to two petrol and one diesel engine. The petrol engine line-up of Hyundai’s sub-4-meter offering includes a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbocharged unit, available on the higher-spec trims along with a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally aspirated motor serving on the lower-spec models. In addition to this, there is a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine on offer as well.
When launched, the Kia QYI is expected to fall in the same price range as that of the Hyundai Venue. And apart from this, it will also compete with the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV300.
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