Kia has revealed details for the first time of its new compact SUV called Seltos.
Launched in India, the five-seater is aimed at young, tech-savvy buyers and is packed full of cutting-edge technology.
It will be manufactured in India, as well as Gwangju, South Korea from where Australian models will come, and goes on sale in the second half of the year.
All powertrains are engineered with Kia’s Smartstream technology for improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions.
For the Australian market it gets a 110kW 2.0-litre Atkinson Cycle petrol engine coupled with a CVT style transmission, with drive to the front wheels, or a 130kW 1.6-litre Turbo GDi petrol engine paired to a 7-speed twin clutch transmission with all-wheel drive.
As with other Australian models, ride and handling has been optimised to provide the experience Aussie drivers expect.
Distinctive design details include a long hood, strong character line on the front bumper, and sharp lines pressed into the bodywork.
It also sports a wide ‘tiger nose’ grille with LED lights front and back, and rides on up to 18 inch alloys.
The interior is designed with high-quality, futuristic materials, and features a 10.25-inch touchscreen system with optional Sound Mood Lighting.
Bose eight-speaker audio takes in-car entertainment to a new level, with mood lighting that pulses in time with the music, as seen previously in its predecessor the Kia Soul — with six themes and eight customisable colours.
Seltos also offers Kia’s innovative UVO CONNECT telematics system.
UVO features its own SIM card to retrieve and update live data during a drive, such as traffic information, weather forecasts and points of interest.
There’s also a UVO App, designed for compatibility on Android and Apple smartphones, with a range of features to provide diagnostic data about the car and trips.
It’s free for the first three years, and includes stolen vehicle notification and tracking, safety alerts, auto collision notification and emergency assistance.
CHECKOUT: What’s that Herc? Seltos, you say?
CHECKOUT: Kia puts ‘Signature’ on smaller SUV