Kia Seltos going to South Korea before India, priced from INR 11.55 lakh

The Kia Seltos was revealed in India earlier this month. But before going on sale here, it is headed to South Korea, where it will retail at KRW 19,300,000 (INR 11,55,146.39) onwards. The pre-bookings for the same have opened, and the launch will take place in July.

In terms of design, the South Korean-spec Seltos is identical to the version displayed in India. On the outside, it features the signature tiger nose grille, LED headlamps with 3D multilayer direction indicators positioned below them, LED fog lamps, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED rear lights and skid plates. But the Korean-spec model has rather more black treatment on the sides compared to the Indian-spec model. In terms of dimensions, it measures 4,375 mm in overall length, 1,800 mm in width, 1,615bmm in height (1,600 mm without roof rails) and has a wheelbase of 2,630 mm.

Two engine options are available in South Korea, a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol unit which churns out 177 PS of maximum power and 27.0 kg.m (264.7 Nm) of peak torque and a 1.6-litre diesel engine which delivers 136 PS of maximum power and 32.6 kg.m (319.70 Nm) of peak torque. Both the engines are paired with a 7-speed DCT. Interestingly, a 4WD system is available optionally, something that's going to be skipped in India. As in the Indian-spec version, the driver can select from normal, sport and eco drive modes. There is a traction mode also available, and it is a supplementary function.

The interior design, too, is the same. it gets 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Interior colour choices include black, plum and brown. Head-up display, 360-degree surround-view camera, heated and ventilated seats, wireless phone charging, 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with UVO Connect connectivity suite and 8-speaker Bose sound system are some of the key interior features.

The highlights of the safety suite are Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Lane Following Assist (LFA), Lane Keeping Assist (LKA), Driver Attention Waring (DAW) and High-beam (HBA, High Beam Assist). Many of these won't be offered in the Indian-spec version. The South Korean-spec version is manufactured locally at the Gwangju plant.

Also See: First Kia Seltos promo video released, features Tiger Shroff

In India, the pre-bookings of the Kia Seltos will commence in mid-July, while the launch will take place in August this year. The company is still tight-lipped on its engine specifications and dimensions, but the same were unofficially revealed on the web earlier this week.