Kia Next Car Launch in India could be in the premium hatchback or sub four meter sedan/SUV which as all the action is there
South Korean car maker Kia has made a big plan for the Indian market. The cousin of Hyundai Motors is looking forward to having big sales volumes and aims to launch a slew of vehicles covering all the popular categories. Kia will start its Indian innings with the launch of a popular product, a city-friendly SUV and then might proceed ahead with the launch of an MPV and a premium hatchback is our understanding. A well placed source in Kia confirms this with us.
The details about the premium hatch are scarce at the moment but given the volume this popular segment generates in the Indian market, the launch is going to be extremely important for the company.
Kia has already got a formidable hatchback in terms of Rio and the planned premium hatch could be based on the Rio’s platform. Kia could possibly stretch Rio to come out with a bigger hatch and load it with the premium features to take on the likes of Maruti Baleno, Honda Jazz, and Hyundai Elite i20. The premium hatch will also rival the upcoming Tata premium hatchb and will sit below the Seltos. It’ll come with a range of engine options – 1.2 petrol engine, 1.0-liter turbocharged petrol engine, and 1.5-liter diesel motor. Kia is expected to share these motors with Hyundai and although performance figures are yet to be out, we expect them to be in the decent range while delivering good mileage numbers.
Like the engines, there will be a wide choice on the gearbox options too. Along with the automatic and manual transmission options, Kia will also offer this premium hatchback with the continuous variable transmission (CVT) and dual clutch transmission (DCT). There is no official declaration on the launch date but we expect the premium hatch to come in the market towards the end of the year 2019 or early 2020.
