Kia Sonet Propels Its Carmaker to New Sales Record

Kia Motors is among the newest faces in the Indian automotive market. Within a short time, the South Korean car manufacturer has gained massive success with consecutive hits, from the Kia Seltos, Carnival to Kia Sonet. All three vehicles are selling in good numbers. With the launch of the new Kia Sonet in September, Kia has registered a sales growth of 63.53 per cent and hit the highest sales monthly figure since its entrance to the market. In October, Kia sold 21,021 units in India.

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Kia’s first vehicle in the market is the Kia Seltos. In the beginning, the Seltos received overwhelming responses from Indian customers. Kia Seltos even surpassed the segment-leading Hyundai Creta to head the monthly sales chart of the compact SUV segment. However, since Hyundai launched the new-gen updates for the Creta, the Creta’s sales have edged out the Seltos by a small margin.

Before the Sonet, the carmaker launched the Kia Carnival in the MPV segment. The Carnival does not have direct rivals in India. It is positioned above the Toyota Innova Crysta and below Toyota Vellfire and Mercedes Benz V-Class. The MPV is available in three seating configurations, 7-seater, 8-seater and 9 seater.

The third vehicle is the Kia Sonet which was just launched in September. In the first month of its launch, the Sonet topped the sub-compact SUV sales chart. Kia Sonet comes in two lines, Tech Line and GT Line. As for the powertrains, the Kia Sonet is offered with multiple engines and gearbox options. It is offered with two petrol engines and a diesel unit. The less powerful 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine is capable of making 83bhp and 115Nm. Mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, the Kia Sonet is limited to the low-end variants. The other petrol engine is a 1.0-litre petrol unit which puts out 120bhp and 175Nm. The turbo-petrol engine comes with either a 6-speed iMT gearbox or a 7-speed DCT automatic option.

The only diesel engine is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit which comes in two different states of tunes. When mated to a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox, the turbo-diesel unit can make 100bhp and 240Nm. If paired with the manual gearbox, it is powerful enough to put out 115bhp and 250Nm. Apart from the various powertrain options, the Kia Sonet is fitted with a load of features including UVO connectivity system, a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, sunroof, air purifier, and wireless charging.