Kia QYI compact SUV spotted testing, is it a "baby Seltos?"

With this small SUV, Kia Motors is targeting more sales in India. Sub 4 meter SUV segment is a lucrative one, which is growing at a tremendous rate, when compared to other car segments in India. Kia has already stated that they aim on becoming one of the top car brands in India. The launch of this small SUV is an effort in that direction.

Hyundai and Kia share car platforms / parts globally. The new Kia Seltos will share its platform, parts, engine options with the 2020 Hyundai Creta, which will launch next year in Feb. Similarly, the new Kia compact SUV will share parts / platform / engine with the Hyundai Venue on sale in India.

The new Kia QYi compact SUV will get a signature tiger nose front grille and an overall aggressive design with all LED headlamps. It was also noted with body panels, LED tail lamps and silver roof rails. Interiors will also come in loaded with features as are also seen on the Seltos and Venue.

These will include a touchscreen infotainment with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, comfortable seating and UVO internet connected-car technology. It will also get automatic climate control, wireless phone charger, ventilated seats, cruise control and a sunroof.

Petrol engine options will include 1.0-litre turbo petrol and 1.2-litre Kappa petrol – borrowed from Venue. Currently on Venue, these are BS4 engines, but when launched with the Kia QYi, they will be updated to BS6. On the Venue, the 1.0 liter T-GDI offers 125 PS power and 172 Nm torque while the Kappa engine develops 83 PS power and 114 Nm torque.

Diesel engine of the Hyundai Venue is a 1.4 liter BS4 unit. This is set to be discontinued, as it will not be updated to BS6 norms. Instead, Venue and the Kia baby Seltos SUV will get the BS6 1.5 liter diesel from Seltos SUV, which will be downtuned to deliver lesser power / torque. Transmission options will include manual as well as automatic.

Apart from Hyundai Venue, Kia’s new sub 4 meter SUV will compete with the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Ford EcoSport and the Mahindra XUV300. Pricing is expected to be highly competitive in the Rs.7-12 lakh range.

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