Kia Sonet Compact SUV: Things You Need To Know

The Korean carmaker, Kia unveiled its compact SUV Sonet as a concept at the Auto Expo 2020. The SUV is expected to launch in India soon. There are a few things you need to know about it before it comes to the market. Let’s get started.

1. The Design Manifest

   

   It is well known that the Sonet will be sharing a lot of specs with its cousin, Hyundai Venue. But what it will not be sharing is the design. The signature tiger-nose grille, headlamps with LED DRLs, muscular cuts, LED tail-lamps and aesthetical cuts all around will surely be an eye-catcher.
   And that’s not all. The concept showcased was around 90% production-ready and only minor changes can be expected once launched.

2. Features: Finest In The Segment

   

   Kia has already been offering best-in-class segment features in Seltos and Carnival. Sonet is going to be no exception. It will be boasting Ventilated front seats, Bose sound system, largest-in-class 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and Kia’s UVO connected-car technology in its arena.

3. The Powertrain Options

   As said earlier, Sonet will be borrowing its BS6-compliant engine from the Hyundai Venue. It will be getting a variety of transmission options too. The 1.5-litre diesel engine will be mated to a 6-speed torque converter gearbox. The 1.2-litre petrol engine is expected to get the Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) which has an auto rev-matching function because of which the driver can change gears without engaging the clutch.
   Apart from these, you can expect Kia Sonet to get a sportier 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine which will be getting a Dual Clutch Transmission(DCT).

4. Kia Seltos Has Set The Bar High

   Seltos, which went on sales last year in the month of August, saw a cumulative sale of over 45,000 units. Han-Woo Park, Kia Motors president and CEO, revealed that the company expects to sell at least 70,000 units in the first full year of the Seltos.
   Sonet once launched will be locking horns with already well established Maruti Suzuki Vitara, which is the top-selling compact SUV since its launch.
   It will also be going up against its own cousin. The Venue which has been racking up a monthly average sale of over 8000 units since its launch. Other rivals such as Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and Mahindra XUV300 will also provide stiff competition to the Kia Sonet.

5. Kia Sonet Launches Soon

   It will be coming to the Indian market by the end of this year around the month of August. With a plethora of features in its basket, you may be expecting Kia Sonet to be pricey. But the compact SUV is expected to get aggressive pricing as Kia might keep it in the price bracket of ₹7lakh to ₹11lakh.