World Premiere: Kia SELTOS unveiled! Will these special features may make this SUV rule Indian roads?

Being one of the most important auto markets, India on Thursday witnessed an important event as Kia Motors hosted the world premiere of its first car during a high-profile event in Gurgaon. Kia's 1st car, an SUV, for India is SELTOS. Unveiling the car, Kia said that indigenously manufactured, Seltos oozes contemporary and stylish design with plush and spacious interiors. SELTOS is extremely important for Kia because the car marks the start of the South Korean auto giant's India journey. Will this car rule the Indian roads and the highly-competitive SUV segment. Here are some the features that make this car special:-

- Kia Seltos comes equipped with Smartstream, a third-generation powertrain developed for high efficiency and powerful performance.

- Seltos gets multiple driving modes that alter the responsiveness of the car and transforms the car’s driving character optimizing the performance on all conditions

- Drivers can choose from ‘Normal’, ‘Eco’ and ‘Sport’ mode. The  Eco mode is tuned to maximise vehicle range by using fuel-saving measures, while Sport mode increases responses from the steering and electric motor to maximise the dynamic driving feel of the car. Normal mode provides a careful balance between the two.

- It also comes equipped with multiple grip controls. Drivers can choose from mud, wet and sand mode depending on road condition

- UVO: Kia Seltos comes equipped with the globally famous UVO connect, an advanced connected car technology which offers an array of convenience and safety features. The UVO boasts 37 smart features under five distinct categories i.e. Navigation, Safety and Security, Vehicle Management, Remote Control and Convenience. The UVO facility will be free for the first three years for its users.

EXTERIOR: Top features

-Kia signature Tiger Nose Grille
-Crown Jewel LED headlamps
-Kia Signature Heartbeat shape LED DRL &  tail lamps
-Ice cube LED Fog lamps
-3D Multilayer Side turn indicator
-Diamond shape knurling on front grille
-Well-designed Lower Air dam & Bumper
-8 colours and 5 two tone options
-Dual muffler design on rear bumpers
-Bridge chrome line on rear

ENGINE

SELTOS offers BSVI diesel and petrol engines. SETLOS will come in petrol, turbo-petrol and diesel guise and will be offered in three automatic transmission options – IVT, (Intelligent continuously variable transmission) 7DCT, 6AT and, along with 6 Speed Manual transmission.

SELTOS: What company says? Future plans?

"SELTOS boasts many world, India and segment firsts with class leading safety features, making the vehicle capable to disrupt the segment and create a niche for itself," Kia said in a statement.

"Originally slated for India, the vehicle hosts world class design, quality and features and now will also be available in global markets from the 4th quarter of 2019," the statement added.

The company says that it plans to begin retail sales with the highest number of touchpoints for any new car entrant in India. "The company will cater to its customers through 265 Customer touch points owned by Kia authorised dealer partners, spread across 160 cities. As part of the company’s customer-centric strategy, on/offline sales system will be available from day one of sales, while digitalizing the entire customer journey from sales to services, including introduction of digital showrooms," according to Kia.