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Kia Sonet compact-SUV will come with intelligent manual transmission (iMT)

Written by Parichay Malvankar

Kia Motors India will become quite a case study for other car manufacturers already existing in our market, and those planning to enter soon. The brand has now only managed to gain mass market acceptance, but the cars launch so far have been appreciated for the overall package. The Seltos and Carnival are already in showrooms, and now Kia is all set to introduce the sub-4 metre Sonet SUV for India. The Kia Sonet will be a sibling to the Hyundai Venue, so we can expect similar specs and features, but also something extra.

The Kia Sonet was recently unveiled at the Auto Expo 2020 and moving ahead, it will be on display at the brands flagship studio showroom Kia BEAT360 in Cyberhub, Gurugram. The concept model will be available for customers to experience till February 29th, 2020. Kia will also use this opportunity to understand market demand for features and design. When launched, this will be the most affordable Kia car in India, and prices range between INR 7 – 11 lakh. The brand promises that the Sonet will be a modern and dynamic compact-SUV to rival the likes of Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra XUV300 and Ford EcoSport.

Kia Motors India has revealed a few features for the Sonet here in India. Apart from a few unlisted best-in-class and first-in-class features, the Sonet will come with the signature tiger-nose grille design, sterwell grille mesh design, tiger-eyeline LED DRLs, wide LED tail lamps, 10.25″ touchscreen infotainment with navigation, UVO connected service, Bose premium sound system and an intelligent manual transmission (iMT). The Sonet will be a 5-seater compact-SUV, and the engines will be shared with the Venue. Expect the same petrol and diesel engine options to be made available, possibly in the same state of tune.

The Sonet will be Kia’s 3rd car for the Indian market and should help the brand gain more market share thanks to its lower price tag than the Seltos and Carnival. Without any doubt, Kia has become an aspirational mass market car brand instantly since its launch.