Kia Motor India has revealed that iMT models of the Sonet SUV have been responsible for a quarter of the vehicle’s total sales
In September last year, Kia Motors launched the Sonet in the Indian market. The SUV quickly gained a lot of popularity among buyers, and climbed to the top of the sales charts. The company has now revealed that 25 per cent of the total sales of the Sonet to date were raked in by the clutchless manual variant, i.e., the iMT variant.
The iMT (intelligent Manual Transmission) is available only with the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, in the following trims- HTK Plus, HTX, HTX Plus, and GTX Plus. The iMT uses a set of sensors to determine when the driver is about to change gears or if the vehicle is rolling to a stop, and then actuators engage and disengage the clutch as per requirement. This eliminates the need for a clutch pedal, which makes driving much simpler.
The iMT also offers a creep function, just like an automatic transmission. It gets rev-matching function as well, which ensures that gear changes are as smooth as possible. The 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, turbocharged petrol motor generates a peak power and torque of 120 PS and 172 Nm, respectively, which gives the SUV peppy performance.
Buyers can also opt for a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with the 1.0L turbo-petrol motor. Other engine options available in the Kia Sonet include a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-4 petrol engine and a 1.5-litre, turbocharged, inline-4 diesel engine. The former is capable of developing 83 PS and 115 Nm, and is paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox.
The diesel motor is available in two states of tune – 100 PS/240 Nm and 115 PS/250 Nm. The 100 PS version comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, while the 115 PS version is offered with a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.
Kia Sonet is currently priced from Rs. 6.79 lakh to Rs. 13.19 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). It has a lot of competitors in the Indian market, namely Maruti Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Ford EcoSport, Honda WR-V, Nissan Magnite, and the recently-launched Renault Kiger.