Kia Seltos becomes India’s best selling SUV: Why’s everyone buying it

Kia India sold 9,583 units of the Seltos mid-size SUV in September 2021. This makes Seltos the best selling SUV in India for September month. Kia has a market share of 7.8 percent and they registered a growth of 1.4 percent growth on YoY basis. Kia also has the Sonet compact SUV and Carnival MPV in their line-up which also sold well. The manufacturer sold 4,454 units of Sonet and 404 units of Carnival. So, what is it that makes Kia Seltos so successful in the Indian market?

Demand of SUVs

The demand for SUVs have increased significantly in the last few years. It was a right move by Kia to launch a mid-size SUV as their first vehicle. Now, every manufacturer is focusing on SUVs because they are selling like hotcakes right now. SUVs provide more road presence and give a commanding driving position. They are also practical, they have a large boot and can tackle our Indian roads easily because of high ground clearance. These advantages are also true for the Kia Seltos.

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Looks

Many people consider the Seltos to be the best looking mid-size SUV in the Indian market. It is based on the SP2i Concept that was showcased. Kia stayed true to the design and you can see a lot of resemblance between the concept and the production-spec Seltos. Often this is not the case. Up-front there is a sleek pair of LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps that integrate neatly with Kia’s tiger-nose grille.

There are 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, flat bonnet, prominent wheel arches, plastic body cladding and roof rails. All of this with a ground clearance of 190 mm give Seltos a SUV stance. You also get a shark-fin antenna and a rear wiper with a washer. At the rear, there are LED tail lamps and a faux skid plate. If you opt for the GT Line then you also get red accents on the exterior that looks sportier. Also, Kia recently launched an X-Line variant that comes with a matte grey paint job from the factory.

Wide variety of engine and gearbox

Kia offers the Seltos with three engine options. There is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine, 1.5-litre diesel engine and a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine that comes with direct-injection. A 6-speed manual gearbox is offered with all three engines as standard.

The naturally aspirated engine produces 115 PS of max power and 144 Nm of peak torque. It is also offered with a  CVT automatic gearbox or an intelligent Manual transmission. It is a smooth engine that is good for city use. The diesel engine produces 115 PS of max power and 250 Nm of peak torque. It is also offered with a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. The engine delivers good fuel efficiency and is quite frugal if you are looking to do a lot of highway runs on the Seltos. The turbo petrol engine is aimed towards enthusiasts. It produces 140 PS of max power and 242 Nm of peak torque. It comes with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel.

Features

The Seltos comes with a lot of features. It gets an electric sunroof, multi-function steering wheel, heads-up display, ventilated front seats, Bose sound system, ambient lighting, air purifier, multi-information display, wireless charger, push button to start/stop, rear parking camera, front and rear parking sensors, Traction modes and Drive Modes, automatic climate control and much more. It also gets UVO connected car technology.

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