Kia’s sub-4-metre SUV, the Sonet, will be officially unveiled on 7th August, with launch following a few months later
Kia Sonet is set to have its official debut on 7th August 2020, when we’ll get to see the production-spec model in all its glory. Before that though, we only have photographs of the concept car or spy pictures of test models to look at. Here, we have another set of the latter, with heavy camouflage on the test mule.
As can be seen in the pictures, the design of the production-spec Kia Sonet doesn’t deviate much from the original concept car showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo. The silhouette seems to be identical, but sadly the front fascia and the tail section are completely covered here. The 17-inch alloy wheels have a machine-cut, dual-tone finish, which looks quite premium.
The Sonet also gets black-coloured plastic cladding on the wheel arches and on the sides. Other than that, we can also see the chrome underlining for the windows, along with a pair of roof rails. We do not see a dual-tone paint scheme; the roof is the same shade of silver as the rest of the car.
Although the rear end has been masterfully hidden, we can see the LED taillights through the mesh cutouts at the rear. By the outline of the camo on the roof, we also speculate that the Sonet will have a very pronounced roof-mounted spoiler. Also, it seems that the Sonet will only get two parking sensors at the back, as evident by the cutouts on the rear bumper.
The interior of the car has a gorgeous look, with plenty of interesting design choices. The touchscreen infotainment system and the instrument console get a uni-body housing, just like on the Seltos. The AC vents are vertically oriented and get chrome outlining as well. We also see dark leather wrapping with red stitching on the door handles. The Sonet will also feature UVO connected car tech, just like the Seltos and Carnival.
The steering wheel has a ‘GT Line’ badge at the bottom, which means that the Sonet will probably have the same ‘HT Line’ and ‘GT Line’ trim nomenclature as the Seltos. We also see steering-mounted controls for audio and cruise control, and a push-start/start button as well. Overall, the Sonet looks like an extremely premium package, one that will give a tough competition to the other sub-4-metre SUVs in the market.
The Kia Sonet will be available with multiple engine options- 1.2-litre petrol, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel, and 1.0-litre turbo-petrol. The transmission options are expected to include a 5-speed manual (for 1.2L petrol), a 6-speed manual (1.5L diesel and 1.0L petrol), and a 7-speed DCT and iMT (1.0L turbo-petrol).