Kia Sonet will take on Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300, Ford EcoSport and Honda WR-V
Kia Motors India has been nothing short of impressive since its debut with the Seltos in August 2019. It was followed by the Carnival premium MPV in three variants and for its price tag, the sales numbers have been highly appreciable. Up next, Kia is all set to introduce a compact SUV based on the Sonet Concept displayed at the 2020 Auto Expo in early February.
The Sonet will be another major assault in the volume space for the South Korean automobile manufacturer and it will have plenty in common with the successfully running Hyundai Venue. The Sonet was showcased in its near-production avatar at the biennial motoring show and the production model is expected to go on sale by the second half of this year.
The interior of the Kia Sonet appears to have been leaked revealing several details and it shares many elements with the Seltos including the 10.25-inch landscape-oriented touchscreen infotainment system with Kia UVO connect. Other main features are a flat-bottom steering wheel, gear lever area and centre console as well resembling the Seltos.
The cabin has premium silver accents and it goes well with the black theme while the central air conditioning vents are vertically positioned. The equipment list will comprise of wireless charging facility, sunroof, ambient lighting, automatic climate control system, adjustable headrests, keyless entry and so on. It could be positioned as a slightly premium alternative to the Venue.
It will be loaded with safety features such as multiple airbags, Anti-lock brakes, reverse parking sensors and camera alongside a host of assistive technologies. The Kia Sonet will be powered by a 1.2-litre Kappa petrol, 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.0-litre T-GDi petrol engine. The naturally-aspirated petrol unit makes 83 PS in the Venue.
The smaller turbo petrol kicks out 100 PS and 172 Nm of peak torque and it will likely be offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission in the top-spec variants. We do expect Kia to price the Sonet from Rs. 6.99 lakh and it could go up to Rs. 11.5 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom).
