Kia to bring Honda City rival to India
Kia Motors, on the sidelines of the Frankfurt Motor Show 201, told OVERDRIVE that there is a sub-4m compact SUV being developed for the Indian market. Kia also confirmed that a luxury sedan is also been prepped for the Indian car market. Apart from this, the buzz news is that Kia also has its sights set on the Honda City and is looking to launch a sub-Rs 10 lakh sedan as well.
This new sedan will be based on the Hyundai Elite i20 rival, the Kia Rio's platform. It is expected to be as long as the City-Ciaz and have class-leading features, something which Kia Motors is known world wide. The interior space too will be at par with the Honda City, if not more. Of course, the car will also compete with its cousin, the Hyundai Verna which is now a much improved product than before.
The Kia Rio's platform will likely be used to make a Honda City competitor for the Indian market
The Kia Rio will also be launched here at a later date and measures 4,065mm in length. It could be shortened for the Indian market given the tax advantages for sub-4m vehicles. The car gets LED projectors as well as fog lamps and also has a floating interface in the cabin. Kia has a host of petrol and diesel engines on offer. It is expected to bring in at least one diesel and petrol engine to the Indian market with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions.
Of course all this will be done in India with the design aspects being outsourced. Kia already has announced its intention of setting up a plant in Anantapur. The factory is spread across 535 acres and will house the ancillary parts factories to facilitate smooth operations. The first production model rolls out in 2019. An investment of $1.1 billion will be made by Kia India.
Starts Rs 10.9 Lakhs
1497cc
Manual
100
145
17.8 Kmpl
Starts Rs 5.5 Lakhs
1396cc
Manual
83
220
22.54 Kmpl
Starts Rs 9.31 Lakhs
1493cc
Automatic
115
250
-NA-
-NA-
998cc
Manual
100
171
22.2 Kmpl
