Kia Seltos: Prices of top-end GTX+ petrol automatic and diesel automatic trims revealed

Kia Motors dealers have begun accepting bookings for the top-end GTX+ petrol automatic and diesel automatic trims of the Seltos Compact SUV. Both new variants will be officially introduced in the coming weeks. Prices of both the GTX+ petrol automatic and diesel automatic trims have been pegged at Rs. 16.99 lakhs, which makes them about a lakh pricier than the current top-end GTX trims. The additional lakh gives the Seltos Petrol Automatic and Diesel Automatic a host of features such as 400W Bose stereo, an electric sunroof, ventilated front seats with power adjustment for the driver’s seat, 360 degree parking camera, front parking sensors and art-leather seats.  Mechanically, the new variant will be based on the 1.4 liter turbo petrol engined automatic and 1.5 liter diesel engined automatic variants of the Kia Seltos.

In other words, buyers of the GTX+ petrol automatic trim will get the 1.4 liter turbo petrol motor making 140 Bhp-242 Nm, and a 7 speed twin clutch automatic gearbox option. People who choose the diesel automatic GTX+ trim will get the 1.5 liter turbocharged diesel engine with 115 Bhp-250 Nm and a 6 speed torque converter automatic gearbox. With the addition of the new, top-end trim on the automatic variants, the Kia Seltos is easily the best rounded SUV that caters to a very wide range of budgets and requirements. Most car makers in India have been shying from offering top-end trim levels on automatic variants in the affordable car categories, and Kia Motors has just bucked that trend. Will this force the competition to follow suit and offer top-end trims with automatic gearboxes? Time will tell.

In its very first month of launch, the Kia Seltos has become India’s best selling compact SUV, displacing its cousin – the Hyundai Creta – from the top perch. Expect Kia Motors to continue with the strong sales run for at least a few months more as the South Korean automaker is sitting on a massive order book that has over 35,000 bookings. Considering that Kia will produce about 5,000 units of the Seltos SUV each month from its Anantapur factory in Andhra Pradesh, expect the Seltos to dominate sales charts for the rest of the year. The SUV takes on the likes of the Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Renault Captur, Nissan Kicks and the Maruti S-Cross. In price terms, it also rubs shoulders with the likes of the Tata Harrier, MG Hector, Mahindra XUV500 and the Jeep Compass. Prices of the Seltos start from Rs. 9.69 lakhs, and go all the way up to Rs. 16.99 lakhs, ex-showroom pan India.