Kia Seltos, Sonet and More to Become Expensive by 3% From April 1 in India

Kia India has announced that there will be a hike in prices of all its products starting April 1, 2024. The firm enforced a hike of 3 per cent across all its models, on the back of the rising commodity prices and supply chain-related inputs. This is Kia's first price hike for its passenger vehicles, including the Seltos, the Sonet, and the Carens. The brand's most affordable product, the Sonet, received an update for 2024. Ranging between Rs 7.99 lakh and Rs 15.69 lakh (ex-showroom), the compact SUV comes in three broad variants – Tech Line, GT Line, and X-Line. The Tech Line is further divided into HTE, HTK, HTK+, HTX, and HTX+ variants, while the other two are available in one variant each, namely GTX+ and X-Line.

Under the hood, the refreshed Kia Sonet gets two petrol engines – a 1.2-litre, naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder unit (82bhp) mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine (118bhp) paired to a six-speed iMT and a seven-speed DCT. Besides, Kia has brought back the diesel manual powertrain. This 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, diesel mill (114bhp) comes with a 6-speed manual, a 6-speed iMT, and a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. 

Meanwhile, the Kia Seltos was introduced in India in 2019 and, ever since then, the company has manufactured over 6.13 lakh units in India, with close to 75 per cent sold in the domestic market. A facelift came around in July 2023, with prices ranging from Rs 10.89 lakh to Rs 20 lakh (ex-showroom). The refreshed Kia Seltos currently accounts for 65 per cent of the carmaker's overall connected car sales. Moreover, around 57 per cent of the Seltos sold in the country come with connected car features that allow convenience and safety. The car gets three engine options: 1.5-litre petrol, 1.5-litre turbodiesel, and new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines mated to their respective gearboxes. 

Following the Sonet is Kia's MPV, the Carens, with 31 per cent of customers opting for variants with connected car tech. The vehicle went on sale in February 2022, quickly gaining popularity in the Indian market. And within 25 months of its launch, the MPV crossed the 1.50 lakh-unit sales mark.

Kia India's Comment

Mr Hardeep Singh Brar, National Head – Sales and Marketing, Kia India, said, "At Kia, we consistently strive to deliver premium and technologically advanced products to our esteemed customers. However, due to the continuous increase in commodity prices, adverse exchange rate and rising input cost, we are compelled to implement a partial price hike. The company is absorbing a significant portion of the increase, allowing customers to continue driving their favourite Kia cars without a major dent in their pockets."