Kia Seltos Spotted Loading in Vessel for Export, Sonet Export to Begin After Launch

Kia is one of the leading carmakers in the world. The brand debuted in India with the Seltos, which is now a product of great demand in the Indian market. The Seltos helped the South-Korean carmaker create a space for itself around the Indian audience. The buyers loved the Seltos so much that it helped Kia become the third-largest carmaker in India in the month of February. However, Seltos’s success story is also the same in some international markets as well. Recently, a batch of Seltos was recorded while it was getting loaded into a vessel at Chennai port to be exported to some international markets.

Kia Started exporting the Seltos from its manufacturing facility, located in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, last year. The carmaker exports the India-made Seltos to various countries in the Middle-Eastern and South-Asian markets. Also, the brand has confirmed that it will be using 30 per cent of the total production capacity of the Anantapur-based unit for export purposes only. As of now, Kia only exports the Seltos, but the brand would start to export the Sonet as well, once it is launched in the Indian market.

The Sonet was initially showcased to the Indian masses at the 2020 Auto Expo. At the auto show, the car was in its near-production concept form. It is likely to be launched in August this year. Also, in a recent report, we revealed that Kia would price the Sonet northwards of Rs. 8.00 lakh. This way, the carmaker would place the Sonet as a premium sub-4m compact SUV in the Indian market.

The production-spec Sonet will largely resemble the Sonet concept that was showcased at the 2020 Auto Expo. It will also have the largest infotainment screen in its segment, which it will borrow from the bigger Seltos. Talking of the mechanicals, the Sonet will be offered with 2 engine options – 1.0L turbo-petrol and 1.5L diesel. These engine options are likely to be offered in the same state of tune as in the Hyundai Venue.