Kia KY three-row UV will go on sale in early 2022 and it will likely be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel engine
Kia’s India division stated during the presentation of the 2021 MY Seltos and Sonet that a brand new vehicle is in the works for early 2022. Over the last few months, the South Korean auto major has been spotted testing a three-row UV and now more official details have come up on the internet. It has now been confirmed to make its world premiere on December 16, 2021.
Internally codenamed Kia KY, it could carry the production name Carens as it was trademarked recently. Sticking by the timeline, the Kia KY will enter showrooms in the early parts of 2022. Sister brand, Hyundai, already sells the three-row Alcazar based on the Creta and Kia’s UV will be based on the highly popular Seltos midsize SUV.
On the outside, the Kia KY will have strong influence from the Seltos and the Sonet while taking inspiration from the latest crop of Kia models sold in the international markets. The test mules do indicate the presence of tall pillars, a large greenhouse that should ensure a spacious cabin, possibly longer wheelbase compared to the Seltos, and a high volume enabling boot.
The rear of the Kia KY will have an upright trunk lid. The interior could offer high-end features like a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, fully-digital instrumentation, wireless charger, sunroof, cruise control, BlueLink connectivity features, USB charging ports, cooled glovebox and so on.
Kia could borrow the 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol and the 1.5-litre four-pot diesel from the Seltos. In the midsize SUV, the former produces 115 PS maximum power and 144 Nm of peak torque while the latter generates 115 PS and 250 Nm. Both manual and automatic transmissions will be on offer. Whether the 1.4-litre turbo petrol will be available or not is yet unknown.
The upcoming three-row UV is expected to compete against Hyundai Alcazar, the upcoming Maruti Suzuki XL6 facelift and perhaps Mahindra Marazzo too. It must be noted that Hyundai is working on a similar-sized vehicle for Indonesia and it could be considered for India in the near future as well.