Kia Seltos additional details revealed in new teaser ahead of official unveiling

Team OD Updated: July 08, 2019, 12:01 PM IST

Set to be unveiled to the world on June 20^th, the Kia Seltos is the Korean manufacturer's first vehicle for India. The production version of the SP2 Concept seen at the 2018 Auto Expo, the Seltos has been spotted testing under heavy camouflage in various parts of the country. Though we have a fair idea of how it looks from various other teasers and spy shots.

The newest teaser confirms much of what we already know about the Kia Seltos, which shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Creta. The Seltos does appear to be longer, wider and taller, which is in line with the expected positioning of the Seltos as a more premium alternative to the Creta, especially with its abundance of gloss black trim. From previous pictures, it also appears to be riding on 17-inch split five-spoke wheels, different in design to the larger looking snowflake-pattern wheels also seen before.

The Kia SUV appears to have its turn indicators mounted under the wide LED headlights, with vertically stacked fog lamps at the edges of the front bumper. Unique to the Kia Seltos will be the LED daytime running lights which extend from the headlights inwards over the top of Kia's signature tiger nose grille, further accentuating the width of the SUV.

LED tail lights with a brushed aluminium strip connecting them round off the design of the Seltos, and we expect a sunroof to be offered on several variants, not just the top of the line as is the case with the Creta.

The interior shots show premium looking metal-finish switches for the cruise control mounted on the steering wheel, also evidenced by the previously released interior sketches of the Seltos. From those sketches, it's safe to say a large 10+ inch touchscreen will be on offer, with the housing extending squarely over the driver's dials set inside it, again a unique flourish - we also hear a heads-up display and connected car technology is in the consideration. The AC vents sit below the touchscreen, surrounded by a leather panel, below which the single-zone soft touch climate controls are situated, with more metal-finish trim accentuating the cabin. The analogue dials with red needles will be accompanied by a colour digital display for driving information, and the gear indicator, with media and navigation likely to be included.

The teaser prominently displays a near 7,000rpm redline, which leads us to believe the Seltos in question could be powered by the new 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine paired to a six speed manual, with power figures likely to be around the 120PS/160Nm mark, similar to what's on offer in the Creta. Also on offer could be a new 1.5-litre diesel, both of which are already BS6-compliant and will make their way to the Hyundai Creta next year. Both these engines are likely to be offered with either a six-speed manual or six-speed torque converter transmission.

The Kia Seltos could also get a more sporty engine option in the form of a 1.4-litre turbo petrol, available internationally with 140PS/240Nm torque, expected to also be paired to a dual-clutch transmission with paddleshifters. The Seltos has been spied with badges marking 4 wheel drive capabilities but it remains to be seen if that configuration will be offered in India, though the teaser demonstrates a fair amount of off-road driving. We expect the Seltos to offer a rich variety of options to the buyer, across engines and transmissions from low variants to high. We also expect highly competitive pricing to the Hyundai Creta, in the range of Rs 10.5-16 lakh (ex-showroom) despite the more premium positioning and BS6-compliance.