Moses Akaigwe
Kia has officially revealed the all-new Seltos SUV – its first entrant into the fast growing compact crossover market. Presented for the first time globally at a special event in Delhi, India last week, the Seltos brings sophistication, assertiveness, cutting-edge technology and safety features to the segment.
The Seltos is characterised by distinctive design details, lending the compact SUV an air of understated sportiness. It combines forward-looking technical features, class-leading space and a suite of world-class safety features, and is powered by a choice of highly-efficient Smartstream petrol and diesel engines.
Mr. Han-Woo Park, President and CEO, Kia Motors Corporation, explained that the Seltos is an important car for Kia as it would play a central role in the brand’s expansion in key markets of the world, including a priority market like India, where the vehicle premiered.
“Seltos is aimed at youthful, tech-savvy buyers and is packed full of our most cutting-edge technology and safety equipment.”
The Seltos provides outstanding value for money – thanks to a range of technology features that maximize connectivity and safety, a roomy interior that seats five people in comfort, and high levels of space and versatility.
The vehicle will be manufactured for different regions at two of Kia’s production facilities – in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India, and Gwangju, Korea. It is due to go on sale in global markets from the second half of 2019, including Nigeria where the brand’s representative, Kia Motors Nigeria Ltd, assembles a range of the brand’s vehicles at a plant in Lagos.
Exterior design: The Seltos stands apart from its rivals with thanks to its sophisticated, sporty design and the space and capabilities of a traditional SUV – all in a compact package.
It offers distinctive exterior design details, such as its long hood, a strong, character line on the front bumper, and sharp lines pressed into the bodywork. It also sports a wide ‘tiger nose grille’, making the car instantly recognisable as a Kia, but with a difference. Its robust shoulder line and glasshouse shape, which tapers towards the rear of the car, lends the compact SUV an air of understated sportiness.
The all-new compact crossover SUV is equipped with intricate and sharply designed full LED headlights and taillights, providing the car with a commanding and confident presence on the road. For daytime driving, the car also has LED daytime running lights and rear lamps, and 3D multi-layer indicators to make it clear exactly where the Seltos is heading. For driving in foggy conditions, the car is also equipped with LED fog lights.
Interior design: The interior of the Seltos is designed with high-quality, futuristic materials. Aimed at youthful, tech-savvy buyers, the cabin is characterised by broad, sweeping shapes and highly technical details. Equipped with a range of technologies to maximize convenience, connectivity and ease of use, the bold design of the cabin incorporates a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system and Sound Mood Lighting.
The ergonomics of the cabin allow the driver to sit comfortably with a commanding view, helping to focus on driving and naturally reduce fatigue. Within the lounge-like and spacious interior, the Seltos also houses an available 8.0-inch Head-Up Display system which unobtrusively projects relevant driving information on to a small glass panel behind the steering wheel – such as turn-by-turn navigation directions and vehicle speed information.
Performance: The Seltos comes equipped with a range of newly developed third-generation powertrains for high efficiency and powerful performance. All powertrains are engineered with Kia’s Smartstream technology for improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
The vehicle is available as a 1.6-liter T-GDI turbocharged petrol engine, a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated petrol engine, and a 1.6-liter diesel engine. Depending on market, the Seltos will be offered with up to three automatic transmission options to suit their needs and driving style – a seven speed dual clutch transmission (7DCT), a six-speed automatic transmission (6AT) and a continuously variable transmission (CVT).To further elevate the driving experience, the Seltos is equipped with a Drive Mode Select system that lets drivers adapt the car to their preferred style or the road conditions. Drivers can choose from ‘Normal’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Sport’ mode.
Technologies and features The car’s 10.25-inch advanced infotainment system is packed full of technology and gives advanced split-screen functionality. This allows users to control or monitor numerous vehicle features at the same time, and customize the screen to display up to three applications simultaneously. The driver, therefore, can choose to have a single display (such as navigation) or combine different elements on-screen.
The Seltos also offers Kia’s innovative UVO CONNECT telematics system. UVO CONNECT is designed to bring driving into the digital era, connecting drivers to the world around and providing useful information – via the in-car touchscreen, and compatible smartphones.
UVO features the Kia Live system, housed within the 10.25-inch TFT LCD widescreen in the centre of the dashboard. The system uses its own SIM card to retrieve and update live data during a drive, such as traffic information, weather forecasts and points of interest. The second element of the UVO system is the UVO App, designed for compatibility on Android and Apple smartphones. The UVO system is free to users for the first three years, and includes stolen vehicle notification and tracking, safety alerts, auto collision notification and emergency assistance.