The Kia Seltos 2020 is one of the most anticipated upcoming vehicles for Kia, will Kia Philippines release it sooner than later?
Kia Philippines has been turning over a new leaf recently. With dwindling sales, no thanks in part to inconsistent marketing from the previous distributor and a shrinking market share, Kia in the Philippines badly needed an image make-over.
In a recent interview, Kia Philippines president Manny Aligada announced this very fact with their news of the Kia Soul being discontinued for the local market. This would definitely disappoint fans of the small crossover as the Soul is credited as a pioneer in what can arguably be the hottest segment in the market.
Aligada stated that it was to their best interest to scrap the notion of selling the Soul as they have a better model in mind. A compact SUV that suits our market better than the Soul ever did and will offer more value for money.
After being taken over by the Ayala Group of Companies late last year, management has promised a laundry list of changes to take place with the brand. They started off with revamping their product line and introducing a halo car with the Kia Stinger a few months ago. Philkotse.com, an automotive website dedicated to Pinoy car lovers, reported the model’s release at the 2019 Manila International Auto Show earlier this year and Kia shows no signs of slowing down.
Kia Philippines also started this year by teasing us with future releases of new models with their names starting with the letter S. We now know that one of those models is the aforementioned Kia Stinger but they are keeping a tight lip over what their next model would be. The most promising of the vehicle that Kia may have up their sleeve is the much anticipated Kia Seltos.
Spyshots of the Kia Seltos 2020 testing in the US were leaked online over a month ago. The vehicle has even made it to the list of the most anticipated upcoming cars for release in 2020 and people love the idea of bringing it over to the Philippines.
Kia’s hottest new compact crossover features an edgier design compared to the Kia Soul and has increased ride height. Powering it is either a Naturally Aspirated 1.5-liter gasoline engine that makes 115hp and 144Nm of torque. There’s also a diesel engine that makes the same amount of horses but musters up more torque at 250Nm.
Kia will also feature an all-new 1.4 liter turbocharged GDI engine that’s good for a healthy 140hp and a class-leading 242Nm of torque. Kia calls this engine their SmartStream engine. You can get these options with either a manual transmission, a 7-speed dual-clutch or Kia’s new IVT system which is a CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission.
It is most likely to see Kia Philippines offering only one engine option to our market with the 1.5-liter petrol engine set to go head-to-head with the current segment of compact crossovers.
It will be filled with a plethora of safety and convenience features but what we the market is looking forward for the most is Kia’s UVO system which is an intelligent smartphone integration system that connects your via an app on your phone to your car’s systems. With UVO you have the capability not just to track your car but the remotely start the engine, control the infotainment system, the cameras and the even the cooling system. We are yet to see whether Kia Philippines will be interested in applying this technology to all Kia models along with the Seltos’ local release.
There is a lot to look forward to for Kia Philippines in the upcoming months and hopefully, the Seltos makes its way to our shores sooner than later. Do you think the Kia Seltos 2020 will live up and fill the shoes left by the Soul?
