Kia unveils new Seltos to take on rising mid-size SUV rivals
NEW DELHI: Korean auto giant Kia India is eyeing a major play in the fiercely contested mid-size SUV segment with the unveiling of the all-new Seltos on Wednesday. The launch comes amid a surge in rivalry sparked by Maruti Suzuki’s Victoris and Tata Motors’ Sierra, both of which have shaken up the market with aggressive pricing, cutting-edge technology, and top-tier safety ratings.
Bookings for the new Kia Seltos will commence from December 11 for a token amount of Rs 25,000. Deliveries are slated to begin around mid-January following the price announcement on January 2, 2026.
“The all-new Kia Seltos is more than a generation change; it’s a statement of Kia’s intent to redefine the segment. A category-defining SUV since its debut in India, the new Seltos pushes boundaries with bolder design, advanced safety and segment-leading technology that reset benchmarks,” claimed Gwanggu Lee, Managing Director & CEO, Kia India.
The mid-size SUV market in India currently stands at around 950,000 units per year, accounting for about 40% of overall SUV sales in the country. Demand in this segment is expected to remain robust following a GST rate cut of 8-10% in late September.
The Hyundai Creta remains the segment leader despite increased competition. Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Toyota Hyryder are some of the other top-selling models. The segment is expected to see more launches in the coming year with Renault confirming the return of its Duster SUV.
Seltos was Kia’s debut model when it entered the Indian market in 2019. Since then, Kia has so far sold over 5.8 lakh units of Seltos in India. To compete with the new breed of SUVs, Kia has made radical changes in the design of the new Seltos. The SUV also marks the India debut of Kia’s global K3 platform for enhanced safety and driving refinement.
Under the hood, the new Seltos carries over all three engine options from its predecessor - the Smartstream G1.5 Petrol (115PS, 144Nm), Smartstream G1.5 T-GDI Petrol (160PS, 253Nm) or 1.5l CRDi VGT Diesel (116PS, 250Nm) engines.
According to Lee the new Seltos is engineered to outperform and optimised for real-world Indian conditions. “We are confident that the BADASS, the all-new Kia Seltos, will disrupt the category again and strengthen Kia’s long-term leadership in India,” he added.