Kia could delay the launch of the Sonet until Diwali – Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue rival!

Kia has had a dream start in India, with the Seltos displacing the Creta as segment leader, and the Carnival which has dared to compete with the Innova and while doing so, it has returned a decent amount of sales.

Now Kia is hunting for the smaller utility vehicle segment, and they believe the Sonet will be capable of taking over from the Venue and Vitara Brezza and bring home yet another ‘segment leader’ laurel for Kia. Pre Covid 19, Kia was supposed to launch the Sonet by June-July, but Coronavirus has forced Kia, and many other motor brands to postponed their plans.

Operations in industries has been temporarily suspended, and this is hurting an already hurt Indian Auto Industry. Most Indian automakers would have used this time to get rid of their BS4 stock, but due to the lockdowns being enforced, sales have seen a slump and the life of the Indian Auto maker continues to suffer.

However, the Supreme Court understands the situation, and has given 10 days post the opening of the lockdown, during which Indian motor dealerships can sell their BS4 stock.

Kia has not suffered much due to the slowdown, and it will not be affected by the lockdown as well, the only real effect of the lockdown on Kia, is in the form of the Sonet being postponed to a probable Diwali launch.

The Hyundai Venue’s sibling will be sharing its platform with the Venue and will be offered in 3 engine options. A 1.2 litre petrol producing 82 PS, a 1.0 turbo petrol churning out a generous 118 ps and a diesel 1.5 litre which will make 99 PS.

The Sonet may be sharing the platform with the Venue, but it will surely be better than it in all respects. From a few sneak peeks, it has been seen that the Sonet will be sharing a few design elements of the Seltos on the inside such as the gigantic 10.25 infotainment system which is integrated with the instrument cluster.

Furthermore, the car is believed to Kia well acclaimed UVO app which allows the owner to power on/off the vehicle remotely via the phone, and it can also be used to display essential details of the car directly on the owners smartphone.

The cabin of the vehicle appears to sport a black theme with silver inserts, and being a Kia, it is sure to provide the customers with an exhaustive list of features. However, all of these features will make this car more expensive than the Venue, thereby making it a more premium utility vehicle.

Currently, India is under lockdown, and rumours suggest an extension to take place, which will further derail the India Auto Industry and hamper their plans. If Kia does manage to launch the Sonet during the Diwali season, it will be taking on the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV 300, but being a Kia, I am sure it is going to give a strong contender, and make the lives of its rivals very difficult.