Kia releases teaser sketches for its upcoming mid-size SUV which give away a lot of segment-first features that the car is expected to bring to the market.
In a build-up to its Indian market debut later this year, Kia Motors will be unveiling its new mid-size SUV for India on the 20th of June, 2019. But before doing so, Kia has released a few teaser sketches today revealing the dashboard and interior design of its upcoming SUV. The new Kia SUV is built on a platform related to the Hyundai Creta's, not a surprise considering the Hyundai-Kia platform underpins a number of models shared by both companies. However, the Kia version of it is going to be a fair bit premium over the Hyundai model for India owing to the mutual agreement between Hyundai and Kia wherein it has been decided to make the Kia model range offer a more premium experience to customers.
On this account, expect the Kia model to not only look and feel more upmarket, but it will also come packed with even more features than the Creta. Some of these new features have been revealed in the sketches here. If you look closer at the instrument cluster you will notice a screen in the centre displaying what appears to be information for an adaptive cruise control system. The infotainment system will have more features too such as driving information about the car. Below the centre air vents sits a flush display for the HVAC system. And the car is going to have ambient cabin lighting too, But it’s when you look closer to the gear lever that you notice just how much more kit this car will get. There is a knob next to the gear lever, which at the moment is not clear what it’s for. But it could be for an all-wheel drive system considering that on the left hand side of the gear lever there are buttons for what appears to be an AWD lock and hill decent control. Alternatively, the knob could also be for different driving modes. Below the AWD lock button there also seems to be a button for an automatic engine start/stop system. Buttons for front seat ventilation are visible on either side of the gear lever while there is another button on the right hand side which appears to be for a heated steering wheel or different driving modes for the steering wheel. This will also be the first mid-size SUV to get an electric parking brake. Although, it's not clear at this stage if the India bound model will be equipped with all of these features.
These details aside, the overall layout of the cabin is very Kia with vertical air vents at either end of the dashboard and the trademark Kia steering wheel design with the circular steering boss at the centre.
Byung Chul Juh, Head of Kia Styling at Kia Motors Corporation, commented on the release of the sketches by saying: “We have focused on designing a cabin unlike any other in the mid-SUV segment, with a greater sense of depth and richness to the design. Our newest model will offer greater pleasure and satisfaction to our customers, with a premium-quality interior that benefits from sophisticated design details.”
Other details that are known about the car at the moment is that the upcoming Kia SUV will be launched with a choice of petrol and diesel engines. Although, these will be different from the Creta’s 1.6 litre engine options as the Kia model will be BS VI compliant from the get go with 1.5 litre petrol and diesel engines. And as the gear lever in these pictures indicates, there will be automatic gearbox equipped models on offer too.
Kia will be launching its new SUV in India during the second half of the 2019 calendar year. The car will be produced at Kia’s Anantapur facility in Andhra Pradesh where trial production for the model began on the 29th of January, 2019.
Also read - Kia K900 Review: First Drive
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