How well did the Kia Sonet perform in its first month in the Indian market

It’s no secret that the Seltos took Kia Motors to new heights in the Indian market. The mid-size SUV, which was heavily lauded by the critics, received record-breaking sales numbers from the first day of its launch, making Kia, which was a new entrant at that time, one of the top tier brands in the Indian market.

For those unaware, the Kia Seltos shook up the mid-size SUV space as soon as it made its debut in the country. It was well-priced, feature-loaded, and came with a plethora of engine and gearbox options in order to cater to every consumer. Soon, it had dethroned the Hyundai Creta from the top spot in this segment as it also lied in the same segment.

However, the Hyundai Creta fought back for its top position when it entered its second-generation guise back in March. Therefore, it did push the Seltos to the second spot in the sales record for mid-sized SUVs.

The same magic, however, did not take place in the case of the Kia Carnival. Instead of selling like hotcakes, the Carnival proved to be a slow seller as the consumers still preferred the slightly more affordable Toyota Innova Crysta over Kia’s minivan.

Kia has now entered the sub-4m compact SUV space with the Sonet. This is an important segment for Kia as it has almost all the major carmakers fighting in a fierce battle over one other with their products. Last year, the Hyundai Venue won the prestigious award for being the ICOTY 2020, which, too, is an achievement in itself.

Kia aims to replicate the same success story with the Sonet as it did with the Seltos last year. Therefore, Kia Cars priced it very well. The base-spec HTE trim of the Kia Sonet has been priced at just Rs. 6.71 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), which makes it the most affordable compact SUV on sale in the country.

Like the Seltos, the Sonet, too, comes in a vast number of variants and powertrain options, so there’s literally a Sonet for everyone. To start off, the base variants of the Sonet are powered with a 1.2-litre BS-VI compliant naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, which makes 82bhp and 115Nm torque. It comes mated to a 5-speed manual as a sole fitment.

Next in the petrol line-up is the sprightlier 1.0-litre T-GDI three-cylinder motor, which is good for 118bhp and 172Nm of torque. It comes mated to either a 6-speed iMT gearbox or a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.

As for the oil burners, the Sonet gets the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine as the Seltos, which makes 99bhp and 240Nm combined to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The same engine, when paired to a 6-speed torque converter automatic, churns out 113bhp and 240Nm of torque.

Like with every Kia product, the Sonet also comes in either Tech Line or GT Line spec, where the Tech Line is the simpler version and, hence, focussed on delivering all the essentials in a somewhat luxurious package. Therefore, it also gets saner looks and a cleaner black-and-beige treatment on the inside. The GT Line spec Sonet, on the other hand, gets sportier looks with red elements all in the right places, nicer looking alloy wheels, and an all-black interior with red accents. It also gets more features as opposed to the Tech line trim.

Speaking of the features, the top-spec GTX+ trim of the Sonet comes loaded with feel-good features such as an electric sunroof, connected car tech, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto support, wireless smartphone charging, steering-mounted audio controls, cruise control, 4-inch coloured MID, leather-wrapped steering, leather-wrapped gear knob, leatherette upholstery, push-button start with keyless entry, full-LED headlamps, LED taillamps, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, and ventilated front seats.

The Kia Sonet was on sale for just 12 days in the month of September 2020. As per Kia, it sold 9,266 units of the Sonet in this period. This makes it the most popular SUV in the country. Kia had announced that it had already received over 20,000 bookings for the Sonet before launch. So, it seems like the Sonet is, after all, performing great in the Indian market, as Kia Motors would have anticipated it to be.Also, grab the latest info on the new cars, only at autoX.