Kia Seltos to take on the Hyundai Kona in the PH

MANILA:  The surge in demand for SUVs and crossovers in the Philippines is quite evident. The same increase in demand has also been tempting the automakers to offer newer and more competitive vehicles from some time now. Kia, who has been of the more active brands in the country in recent times, is now preparing to inflate the crossover segment in the Philippine automobile market and give some big names a run for their own money.

Following its Indian premiere some time ago, the Kia Seltos recently had its global drive event organised on its homeland, South Korea. And guess what? Kia has confirmed that the five-seater crossover will indeed be offered in the Philippines. As a matter of fact, Kia will produce Seltos in both India and South Korea with the Philippine-spec model to be manufactured in South Korea.

Standing at 4,315 mm long, 1,800 mm wide, and 1,620 mm tall, the Kia Seltos will be slotted right between the Soul and Sportage. The crossover rides on 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels and features a ground clearance of 176 mm with the former and 179 mm with the latter set of wheels. While both the Honda HR-V and Mazda CX-3 are will be the top competitors for the Seltos, the South Korean crossover's most significant rival will be the Kona, which is a popular crossover by Kia's sister brand Hyundai.

An eight-inch touchscreen with dual Bluetooth connectivity, 498-litre of cargo space, and many more premium interior features will be making the Kia Seltos a go-to crossover. On the mechanical front, the Philippine-spec Seltos should come housing a  2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine that will make 149 PS of maximum power. Besides,

An intelligent variable transmission (IVT) will take care of power delivery duties. Kia Philippines is expected to bring the crossover to the country in three variants, namely  LX, EX, and EX+. The automaker has also mentioned that the crossover will be priced very competitively in order to give the Hyundai Kona a tough fight in the segment.

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