Kia India unveils refurbished version of Seltos midsize SUV

Kia Seltos

In a bid to strengthen its presence in the mid-size Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment, Kia India has given a mid-cycle refresh to Seltos. While the bookings for the model, which would be available in 18 trims, will commence on July 14, deliveries are expected by September this year.

Estimated to be priced in the range of Rs 10.90 lakh to Rs 19.90 lakh (ex-showroom), the 2024 Kia Seltos will be pitted against Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Hyundai Creta, MG Astor, Grand Vitara and the upcoming Honda Elevate.

Kia Seltos SUV

“Seltos is the product with which we entered India, and since then, the journey of Kia India and the Seltos has been almost identical. We feel that there is a lot of growth potential in the mid-SUV segment, and the new Seltos will grow the premium end of it," said Kia India Managing Director and CEO Tae-Jin Park.

The 2024 Kia Seltos offers a revised front fascia, with redesigned LED lights. It also comes with all-new interiors and an updated digital instrument cluster, including a new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment panel. The SUV is also equipped with various safety features, including level 2 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Kia Seltos SUV

While the company has retained the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines mated with manual and automatic transmissions, a 1.5-litre GDi turbo petrol version will also be additionally offered.

“With the additional hi-tech features in the new Seltos, we expect the age bracket of this model to start from 21 years right up to 35 years, stated Kia India National Head (Sales & Marketing) Hardeep Singh Brar said.

Defined by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) as SUVs between 4,000 mm and 4,400 mm in length, and priced less than Rs 20 lakh, midsize SUVs accounted for 13.5 percent of the market in FY23. During FY23, 523,967 midsize SUVs were sold in a total passenger vehicle market of 3,890,114 units, as per SIAM data.

Kia Seltos SUV

In this segment, the sales were led by Hyundai Creta (150,372 units), followed by Kia Seltos (100,132 units). The midsize SUV segment grew 30 percent at 523,967 units during FY 23 over 404,091 units in FY22.

“The mid-SUVs, which falls under Rs 10 lakh plus category, are doing relatively better than low-end SUVs. While the (PV) industry is growing by 10%, mid-SUV segment is growing by about 24- 25%. So midsize SUVs will grow at twice the pace of the industry,” added Brar.

It is to be mentioned that Seltos brand currently contributes 55 per cent to Kia India's overall sales. It is one of the biggest brands for the Kia Corporation, with one out of every ten Kia cars sold globally being a Seltos.

Kia India, which currently has a market share of around 7 per cent in the domestic PV market, is looking to enhance it further to 10 per cent in the medium term. The South Korean carmaker also aims to double its existing sales network to 600 plus outlets from over 300 currently.