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Shopping for a Kia Seltos? Here's how long you'll be waiting for all-new SUV

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Kia is forecasting delays for its new Seltos.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
10 Nov 2019
2 min read

Kia is forecasting delivery delays for its all-new Seltos, with the brand suggesting "supply will be the biggest problem".

The new SUV has proven a monster hit in the markets its launched into so far, with sales in Korea and India already numbering in the tens of thousands. 

And it seems Australia will be no different, with Kia here forecasting wait times for its new SUV.

The Seltos hit the market at the end of the October, selling 179 units before the month closed - but the brand only had 179 vehicles to sell.

Combine that with what the brand describes as a "stack of pre-orders", and you've got a recipe for wait times on new vehicle orders.

"We only launched on the second last day of October, and we have a stack of pre-orders," Kia's Kevin Hepworth told CarsGuide.

Read More: The secret to Kia's sales success: Why the "humble Korean brand" is booming

"It’s creating tremendous interest, but supply is going to be the biggest problem."

Adding to the supply constraints is the fact that, while India's vehicles are manufactured in that country, Australia's arrive from Korea, which means we're fighting with that domestic market for production.

Cars destined for the USA will also be built in Korea, with the Seltos to launch Stateside early next year, only adding to the demand.

"America comes online early next year, and they get their cars out of Korea as well," Mr Hepworth says.

Read More: Kia Seltos 2020 review

"We're expecting some delays, with customers waiting just a little while. We’re not going to have unlimited supply,"

"At this stage its hard to tell how long a wait might be until the market settles.

"It's a brand new car, but at this stage we just accept there might be difficulty in filling particular orders, but we would hope they won't be too significant."

Read More: Kia Seltos 2020 pricing and specs

The Seltos model line-up consists of the entry-level S grade (priced at $25,990 drive-away), then the Sport variant ($29,490 drive-away), the Sport+ (from $32,990 drive-away) model and the range-topping GT Line ($41,990 drive-away).

According to Kia, the Sport+ and GT Line are expected to be the most popular models, and so the most at risk of wait times.

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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