KIA has launched its first ever compact SUV in Europe. The SUV is called the Stonic and is priced in the range of Rs £16,295 - £20,495 (approximately Rs 14.01 - 17.63lakh). The Stonic is based on the KIA Rio hatchback which competes with the cars like the Hyundai Elite i20, Maruti Suzuki Baleno and the Honda Jazz in the international market. In Europe, the Stonic will be taking on the likes of the Euro-spec Renault Captur, Ford Ecosport and others.
In September, we had reported that Kia is planning on a sub-4m SUV for the Indian market like its parent company, Hyundai. The Stonic could become that SUV for the South Korean automaker if it manages to chop it slightly and put it under 4m, which currently measures 4,140mm. Just to put things into perspective, the Honda Jazz (4099mm) and the Ford EcoSport (4273mm) measure well over 4000mm (4m), but the India-spec models are tuck in under 4m to save taxes. They have done it by smartly redesigned slim profile bumpers.
Mechanically, the Stonic is powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol along with a 1.6-litre diesel. While the 1.0-litre turbo petrol will power the Hyundai’s upcoming sub-4m SUV here, rest of the engines are already available with other Hyundai cars in India. All the engines are mated to manual transmissions as of now. So, the availability of powertrain options could also fast-track the arrival of the Stonic in the Indian market. However, it remains to be seen what Kia has in store for us.
Source: CarDekho.com
