Kia's new Sonet SUV has broken cover in India, with the brand peeling the covers off its new baby Seltos as the Auto Expo 2020.
While the Sonet - revealed here in concept form - is so far confirmed for an Indian launch in the second half of 2020, the brand says it will be a new "global compact SUV", suggesting more countries will come on board.
To that end, Kia has told media there is no immediate plan to launch the Sonet here, but has also quietly trademarked the name in Australia, registering it with the Government's IP Office on December 19.
Details remain thin on the ground for now, but we do know the Sonet - which will go up against cars like the Hyundai Venue and Mazda CX-3 - is targeting a younger demographic that is "always connected to the world", and so the cabin tech is first class.
The Sonet gets a huge 10.25-inch multimedia screen which, like all Kia product, will likely be Apple CarPlay and Android Auto equipped. There's also a Bose-branded stereo, and the brand is promising "best-in-class interior space".
While there's no word yet on what will be powering the Sonet, we do know that Kia is promoting an "intelligent manual transmission". Reports out of India suggest the production version will be fitted with a choice of 1.2-litre petrol, a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol or a 1.5-litre diesel.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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