Exclusive: India’s first self-drive Kia Seltos is here

The just-launched Kia Seltos compact SUV has already hit the self-drive car circuit, and can now be rented for Rs. 4,000 per day. RBTS car rentals is offering the Seltos in self drive and chauffeur driven options. The service is currently available across three locations: Delhi, Chandigarh and Punjab. For more details, you can call +91-8427222222. You can also email [email protected] or log on to rbtscarrentals.com.

Self drive cars are now becoming very popular, especially among youngsters. It’s very convenient and affordable to opt for a self drive rental car for a road trip or even for intra-city driving for a short periods of time rather than owning a car outright. For many families, the availability of self-drive car rentals from companies such as ZoomCar, Drivezy and Revv make ownership of a second car redundant. This has already been recognized by car companies such as Mahindra and Hyundai, who have made massive investments into self-drive car companies, which are still in start-up mode in India. Also, easy availability of self drive cars means that people can actually opt for public transport in cities where transportation facilities are well developed, and opt for a self drive car if they need a vehicle during the weekends.

ZoomCar and Revv have even come up with attractive options that allow people to opt for a self drive car on a monthly package, and allow others to use the car when it’s unused. This concept is meant to make car sharing widely accessible, and lucrative for owners. For instance, someone who uses a car only during the weekends, can rent out her/his car to ZoomCar’s fleet for use during the weekdays, and can earn money by doing this. This will greatly reduce the monthly EMI burden that comes with a car. While the concept is yet to catch up in a big way in India, it may well become the way in which younger buyers look at cars in future.

Coming back to the Seltos, the SUV is going great guns, and has already beaten cousin Creta in terms of sales numbers. It’s currently India’s best selling 4 meter+ compact SUV. Kia Motors will shortly increase production to reducing waiting periods. The Seltos is built at a brand new factory that Kia Motors has set up in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Prices of the SUV start from Rs. 9.69 lakhs. It’s available with multiple engine and gearbox options. Buyers can choose from three engines: a 1.5 liter petrol with 115 Bhp-144 Nm, a 1.4 liter turbo petrol with 142 Bhp-242 Nm and a 1.5 liter turbo diesel with 115 Bhp-250 Nm.  All three engines are BS6 compliant, and get 6 speed manual gearboxes as standard. The 1.5 liter petrol gets a CVT automatic option while the turbo petrol gets a 7 speed twin clutch automatic gearbox option. The diesel is available with a 6 speed torque converter automatic option.