According to a report, Kia is planning to introduce a fully electric derivative of the Kia Seltos in the Chinese market in the second half of this year. The Kia Seltos Electric is likely to be manufactured at the Hyundai Groups Jiangsu production facility and will become the second region-specific electric car after the K3 SUV.
Details on the powertrain are yet to be revealed but speculations are that the Kia Seltos is likely to use the electric powertrain from the Hyundai Kona Electric with the more powerful 64 kWh battery pack mated to a 204 hp electric motor which is likely to give it a range of around 400 km on a single charge.
The Hyundai Kona Electric sold in the Indian market comes with a 39.2 kWh battery pack coupled to a 134 hp / 395 Nm permanent magnet synchronous electric motor with a single-speed reduction gearbox that powers the front wheels of the car and gives it an ARAI tested range of 452 km.
In the Indian market, Kia has shown an upward trend in sales and has achieve the third number spot with the Kia Seltos as the best seller in the heavily contested mid-size SUV market and is available in both petrol and diesel variants. But as of now, the brand might only focus on the ICE-powered SUV for our country.
Till date, Kia has sold more than 81,000 units of the Seltos since its launch in August 2019 which already gives the Kia Seltos a head-start and shows its design like-ability. In the near future, when the demand for the ICE powered SUV does cool off a little, Kia may bring the electric alternative to India with the locally manufactured body & interiors and a locally assembled electric powertrain will give the electric version a great advantage in terms of its pricing.
In China, the Kia Seltos Electric is expected to begin production by mid-2020.