Kia Seltos EV to rival Hyundai Kona and MG ZS EV: Launch this year

Kia has gained a lot of market with the launch of their two cars – the Carnival and the Seltos in the Indian market. While the manufacturer is preparing for their next launch, which will be a sub-4m compact SUV in the Indian market, it is also working on an interesting iteration of the Seltos. Here are all the details that you need to know about the upcoming Kia Seltos EV.

According to IAB, a leaked document indicates the launch of the Kia Seltos EV later this year. Since the Indian market now already have three electric SUVs, the Kia Seltos based EV will further increase the competition. Currently, Hyundai offers the Kona EV, MG Motors has the ZS EV and Tata sells the Nexon EV in the Indian market. The upcoming electric vehicle from Kia will not debut in the Indian market though.

The report also claims that the Seltos EV will first get launched in China and currently the plan is to sell the vehicle only in the Chinese market. However, at a later date, Kia may consider the all-new SUV for the Indian market.

Also read: Mitsubishi to launch Creta and Fortuner rivals in India

The Chinese market also gets the KX3 EV, which is based on the Hyundai Creta. It is sold under the Kia brand name in China. However, the all-new KX3 will be the next-generation model and will be based on the Seltos. It will replace the KX3 from the Chinese market.

The details about the powertrain are not known but the current version of the KX3 gets powered by a 45.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack as standard. The pack returns a maximum of 300 km of range. The electric motor powering the KX3 produces a maximum power of 111 PS and peak torque of 285 Nm. It can reach a maximum speed of 150 km/h. The upcoming version of the car, which is the Kia Seltos EV is likely to be available in two different versions. There are a standard-range and long-range iterations of the car. It is possible that Kia uses the Hyundai Kona EV’s powertrain in the next-generation EV. However, there can be a few changes according to the need of the market.

Currently, the Hyundai Kona EV gets a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It powers an electric motor that generates a maximum power of 136 PS and peak torque of 395 Nm. The upcoming Kia Seltos EV’s production will start in August and the brand plans to sell more than 10,000 units in the Chinese market annually. As for the Indian market, the all-new sub-4m compact SUV – the Sonet will be launched in the coming few months to take on the likes of Vitara Brezza and Venue.

Also read: Mahindra XUV300 OUTSELLS Hyundai Venue & Maruti Brezza in May 2020 sales