Kia recently updated the Sonet with a mid-cycle facelift which involved a few styling tweaks to go along with some critical feature upgrades. But the Korean carmaker isn’t going to stop as it plans to expand its SUV lineup with the popularity of this segment booming across the market.
‘Kia Clavis’ trademark filed
Notably, the Korean carmaker has filed a new trademark for the India market which is expected to be its next SUV. The trademark reads ‘Kia Clavis’ which is most likely to be the brand’s next SUV. Reportedly, Clavis could be Kia’s micro SUV which could be based on Hyundai Exter.
For the uninitiated, Kia Motors is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group. Auto OEMs are looking to capitalise the micro SUV space with Tata Punch leading the segment. Tata’s micro SUV recorded a monthly volume of 14,383 units in November this year while Exter registered a healthy volume of 8325 units during the same period. Clearly there is demand for UVs slotted below the sub-4 metre SUVs.
Earlier, Kia had stated a couple of years back that the company will only focus on UVs including SUVs, crossovers and MPVs for the Indian market. The Korean carmaker will bring two of its flagship products to India in the future– the new-gen Carnival MPV and the EV9 electric SUV. In fact, Kia is also developing an all-new subcompact electric SUV for India which should launch in a couple of years.
Therefore, a new entry-level SUV in the mass-market passenger vehicle space will help Kia absorb more market share. Internally codenamed AY, the new Clavis is likely to be based on the same underpinnings as Exter which itself has been derived from Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. However, the Clavis will don a very distinct top hat with signature styling elements like Kia’s Tiger Nose front grille.
Kia Clavis expected underpinnings, powertrain
Like Exter, Clavis is expected to be powered by a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine which churns out 82 bhp and 114 Nm of peak torque. This motor is paired with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed AMT. Kia could also offer a CNG version of this engine with a slightly detuned output.
