While introducing its new brand identity in India earlier last month, Kia announced that they will be entering a brand new segment in the country by early 2022. The carmaker, however, did not provide any further details on what the upcoming product could look like, which naturally gives rise to a lot of speculations. Now Kia has confirmed that they will solely be focusing on SUVs and MPVs for the Indian market, which helps us narrow down our speculations. One of the candidates could likely be a seven-seater version of the Kia Seltos. Other speculations suggest that it could be a long awaited Ertiga-rivaling MPV from Kia.
This upcoming model was spied testing in South Korea for the first time earlier last month. Although the test mule was heavily wrapped in camouflage, it still gave us a rough idea of what to expect from Kia's upcoming three-row vehicle. The spy shots confirmed that the vehicle will have a proper three-row, boxy MPV silhouette. Going by its size, the all-new MPV that will be much smaller and more affordable than the Carnival, which sits at the premium end of the segment. Based on these spy shots, our in-house digital artist, Shoeb R. Kalania, has created a rendering of the upcoming Kia MPV to give us a better idea of how it could look like.
Also Read : Is Kia Prepping a Hyundai Alcazar Rival For Early 2022 Launch?
As has been imagined in this rendering, the upcoming Kia MPV could boast of a striking and bold design. The headlamp design is particularly interesting, split in half by an extension from Kia's signature Tiger nose grille. The upper half of the headlamp gets Sonet-like LED DRLs, while the main LED headlamp cluster is positioned below. Further down, the front bumper features a wide central air dam garnished with a matte satin trim which wraps around deep-set fog lamp housings within the front bumper. From this front quarter view, the MPV can also be seen wearing a set of stylish alloy wheels.
Interestingly, the upcoming MPV will be sharing its platform with the Seltos (4,315mm-long), but will be lengthened to about 4.5 meters to accommodate the third-row of seats. And in that regard, if you look closely into this rendering, you will notice that the raked A-pillars, flat bonnet and the front doors are actually very similar to that of the Seltos. The differences come past the C-Pillar, thanks to added length, a distinct rear quarter glass area and an upswept window line. Although not seen in this rendering, the MPV will have a completely unique tail gate design with sleek LED tail lamps and a chunky bumper.
Internally codenamed the Kia KY, the upcoming MPV will be a global model. Under the hood, the Kia MPV will likely be powered by 1.5L petrol and diesel engines in India, the same that's offered with the Seltos. Expect the power and torque figures and the gearbox options to be similar to the Seltos as well. In comparison, rivals such as the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga is a petrol-only model. Meanwhile, the Mahindra Marazzo is sold with a sole 1.5L diesel engine. This upcoming MPV is expected to be globally unveiled later this year before making it to India by early 2022.
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Kia updates and other four-wheeler news.
