Kia Previews Possible India-bound Stonic Compact SUV
Published On Jun 07, 2017 07:15 PM By Raunak
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The Kia Stonic is believed to be based on the Rio hatchback, which competes against and shares its platform with the Hyundai Elite i20.
Kia Motors Corporation has previewed its upcoming compact SUV, the Stonic, with a few official sketches.
The production-spec model of the compact crossover is expected to make its world premiere at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The Kia Stonic will go on sale in Europe in the second-half of 2017, but the South Korean automaker hasn’t confirmed other markets yet.
In Europe, the Kia Stonic will rival the likes of the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and the Honda HR-V among others. To simplify things, it can be considered a crossover that is expected to sit between the Hyundai Creta and the Tucson.
According to Kia, its name ‘Stonic’ is a blend of ‘Speedy’ and 'Tonic'. In the same vein, Kia promises that the Stonic will have a relatively low centre of gravity, which will result in better dynamics.
Aesthetically, the compact crossover features sharp horizontal character lines, a sweeping roofline and a sharply raked rear windscreen.
The Kia Stonic will have sleek, wrap-around head and tail lamps. Crossover-ish bits such as dual-tone bumpers and all-around body cladding are present as well.
The interior is largely similar to the all-new fourth-generation Rio hatchback (check out the image below) with a floating touchscreen infotainment system.
In April 2017, Kia announced its arrival in the Indian market latest by 2019. The automaker will come up with a compact sedan and compact SUV for the Indian market initially. Read in-depth about its Indian operations here: Kia Motors To Enter India In 2019; Will Set Up Plant In Andhra Pradesh
The Stonic could make it to India at a later stage as Honda is also mulling to launch the HR-V here. Also, Renault-Nissan alliance will have two new products in this space, the Renault Captur and the Nissan Kicks, by next year. Stay tuned to CarDekho for more updates on the Kia Stonic.
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