South Korean carmaker Kia Motors unveiled its first India-bound SUV, the Seltos, earlier this month. Now, the firm has confirmed that the Seltos will launch in India on August 22, 2019. While unofficial bookings have begun at some Kia dealerships, an official announcement is awaited and that is likely to happen sometime next month.

Unlike any other product in the compact SUV segment, the Kia Seltos will be available with six powertrain options and all will be Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) ready. The entry point will be a 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated petrol engine which will be available with a 6-speed manual and a CVT unit. Then there will be a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel mill with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic transmission to choose from. The most powerful of the lot will be a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, available only in the GT Line, and it will be available with a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DCT.

Even on the features front, the Kia Seltos is likely to leave all its competitors behind. Some of the highlights include a built-in air purifier, an electric sunroof, an 8-speaker Bose sound system, a head-up display, USB charging sockets for rear seats, a 7.0-inch display within the instrument cluster, ventilated (and cooled) front seats and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system which, apart from supporting voice commands, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, will also become the control centre for the UVO connected car features.

Kia’s UVO tech is similar to Hyundai’s BlueLink, which made its India debut in the recently launched Venue SUV. Kia says that UVO will offer a total of 37 connected car features and they will be bifurcated in five categories – Safety & Security, Navigation, Remote Control, Convenience and Vehicle Management. As far as the list of passive safety features is concerned, it will pack six airbags, a blind-spot view monitor, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control and vehicle stability management.

By the time Seltos goes on sale in India, the company will have 265 touchpoints across 160 cities. That number of touchpoints is expected to rise to 300 in 2020 and 360 in 2021. Expect Kia to launch the Seltos with an introductory price list which should fall between Rs 12-18 lakh. Once launched, Kia’s first product will lock horns with the Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Nissan Kicks and the Renault Captur. The Seltos will also make a compelling case against models like the MG Hector and the Tata Harrier, both of which are a size or two bigger.