It has been 4 years since Kia first came to India. Ever since it came, Kia has emerged as one of the beloved car brands. They debuted with the Seltos and soon introduced Sonet and later the Carens. They all captured quickly and became the reason for Kia’s quick succession. Now, it is said that Kia will enter another segment to cater more buyers. They earlier spoke about a rugged SUV ‘AY’ and today they have trademarked a new name. So what’s the new name and what all to expect from this new SUV?
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Kia New SUV name
In a recent instance, Kia has registered and trademarked a new name for their upcoming SUV. The name is ‘Kia Clavis’ and will likely be the same SUV which Kia had codenamed as ‘AY’. The new SUV will be an off-roader and Kia will aim to attract a large number of buyers.
What is the Kia Clavis
AY or the Kia Clavis, will be built on an all new platfrom and it is said that the SUV will be slotted between Sonet and Seltos. However, the Kia Clavis will be a sub-4 metre SUV. The design of this new SUV will be very unique from other Kia SUVs and will likely be based on Kia’s global SUV, Kia Soul. It will have a tall boy design language and would be a rugged looking SUV. Also, this new Kia SUV will be a spacious car and have enough space for the second row passengers as well. In fact we can expect this new SUV to offer more legroom for the second row passengers than what the Sonet offers. Interestingly, this new SUV will come with petrol or diesel and EV powertrain options. So overall, it will be an interesting offering from Kia.
Kia New SUV – Specifications
It is too early to talk about the exact specifications, but the EV version should at least come with 450km of claimed range. The Clavis will be a front-wheel drive car, but its EV variant could come with extra motors to give it AWD capabilities. The ICE variant could come with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine like the Sonet. Kia will probably not offer the naturally aspirated engine on this SUV. Transmission options should include a manual and an automatic gearbox. The diesel engine could be a 1.5-litre if it hasn’t been discontinued due to stricter emission norms.
Expected launch & pricing
So when is the AY or Clavis coming? According to reports, the Korean brand plans to launch the SUV by 2025. It is not clear if the EV version will come first of the ICE version. The ICE version could come with a plethora of variants and transmission options to cater to a wide group of audiences. The pricing of Kia Clavis could start from Rs 14 lakh and go to Rs 26 lakh (on-road, Mumbai).