South Korean automobile company Kia Motors Corporation revealed the Kia Sonet, manufactured at Kia’s facility at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. This is the third car from Kia in the Indian market as well. Sales of the new car will commence soon in India, with sales in many of Kia’s global markets due to follow.
Ho Sung Song, President and CEO, Kia Motors Corporation said the new model Sonet is Made in India for global markets and that the $2 billion investment into the Indian plant will play a crucial role in its global markets.
The Kia Sonet will be produced in India, both for India and the global market, with the company using India as an export base. Kia Motors India MD and CEO Kookhyun Shim said during the launch that the Anantapur plant is most advanced one among almost all other Kia plants across the world and that the pilot production phase for the Sonet has been completed with the vehicle being ready to be launched for Indian customers soon.
He said currently Kia Motors India ships out Seltos SUV to about 70 countries.
While the company has not officially revealed the price, reports suggest that the Kia Sonet could be priced between Rs 8 to 13 lakh (ex-showroom).
According to Song, the compact SUV segment will continue to log growth in 2020 and also beyond.
According to Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Design Centre at Kia Motors Corporation the design of Sonet was inspired by baby elephant.
The car's front grill was inspired from a step well in India. Habib said the car has a strong and powerful front like a baby elephant.
The new model Sonet comes in petrol and diesel engine versions and wide range of powertrain options.
The model comes with two petrol engine versions - 1.2-litre four-cylinder and 1.0 T-GDi – and 1.5-liter CRDi diesel engine.
The Sonet comes with five transmission options: five- and six-speed manuals, an intuitive seven-speed DCT, six-speed automatic, and Kia's new six-speed intelligent manual transmission.
Additionally, automatic variants of the Sonet offer multi-drive and traction modes for added convenience, driver-confidence and safety.
The 1.5-litre diesel engine is offered with a six-speed manual, and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Some of the new features in the Sonet include:
> 10.25-inch (26.03 cm) HD touchscreen with navigation and live traffic
> Smart Pure Air Purifier with virus protection
> BOSE Premium seven-speaker audio with sub-woofer
> Ventilated driver and front-passenger seats
> LED Sound Mood Lighting
> Remote engine start for automatic and manual transmission via UVO Connect and Smart Key
> Over-the-air (OTA) map updates
> Multi-drive & traction modes and grip control for automatic models
> Wireless smartphone charger with cooling function
With IANS inputs