Here, we have a digitally rendered image which shows what the production-ready Kia Sonet might look like
The hotly contested sub-4-metre SUV segment is about to receive a new contender in the form of Kia Sonet. The South Korean carmaker had showcased the car at the 2020 Auto Expo earlier this year, and we expect it to launch during the Diwali season. There will be plenty of changes to the production model compared to the concept car shown at the Expo.
The image seen here showcases a digital rendering of the Kia Sonet, imagined in its production avatar. The vehicle can be seen wearing a dual-tone exterior paint, which makes it look quite premium. The front end features Kia’s signature ‘tiger-nose grille’, and the headlights are all-LED units. The side air vents on the front bumper now house foglamps inside them.
Changes to the side profile include chrome-plated door handles and dual-tone alloy wheels. The concept car had seamless doors (hidden door handles) and red accents all over, including the front grille, the lip of the air dam, the side door garnish, and even the alloy wheels. These accents have been removed in this production-spec rendering. The ORVMs are now larger have integrated turn indicators.
To be honest, the rendered image isn’t too far from the concept car. Considering how close the Kia Seltos looks to the original SP2 concept, we expect the Sonet to remain majorly unchanged as well. That said, there is no confirmation about the engine options on offer, but there is a lot of speculation about that.
The Kia Sonet will share its engines with the Hyundai Venue, with which it also shares its platform. The Venue is available with three engine options. The first one is a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, inline-4 petrol unit, capable of producing 83 PS and 114 Nm. The second one is a 1.5-litre, inline-4, turbocharged diesel motor, which can generate 100 PS and 220 Nm.
The last option is a 1.0-litre, inline-3, turbocharged petrol motor, with 120 PS and 171 Nm on tap. Expect the Sonet to sport the same powerplants under its hood. Transmission options on Kia’s subcompact SUV will include an iMT (intelligent manual transmission). Other than that, there will be a regular manual gearbox (5- and 6-speed) and a DCT on offer as well.