KIA New Seltos 2024 "quietly" launched, much more expensive than Mitsubishi Xforce

The KIA New Seltos model, (possibly called KIA Seltos 2024) was "quietly" announced by KIA Vietnam through a notice on the website last weekend. As initially revealed, the KIA New Seltos 2024 is the mid-life upgrade version (facelift) launched in the Indian market in July 2023.

The biggest change of this B-SUV model is the transmission system. Accordingly, the new model has 4 versions (AT, Luxury, Premium, GT-line) using only one type of 1.5L engine capacity instead of 2 options 1.4L and 1.6L like the old version. However, the model still has 2 configurations of naturally aspirated and turbocharged engines.

Specifically, the three versions AT, Luxury and Premium use the Smartstream 1.5G gasoline engine, with a capacity of 113 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and maximum torque of 144 Nm at 4,500 rpm, with a CVT automatic transmission.

The fourth and most premium version is the GT-Line, which uses a 1.5L Turbo Smartstream petrol engine, with a capacity of 158 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and a maximum torque of up to 253 Nm at 1,500 - 3,500 rpm. It comes with a 7-speed DCT dual-clutch automatic transmission.

In the old version, the KIA Seltos model had up to 6 versions and many variations (Deluxe, Luxury, Premium, Connect Lite, X-Line, GT-Line).

Compared to competitors Hyundai Creta, MG ZS, Mazda CX-3 or Mitsubishi Xforce that only have naturally aspirated gasoline engines, KIA New Seltos 2024 still retains the advantage of diverse product lines when always having a turbocharged engine version.

The exterior of the 2024 KIA New Seltos is slightly different with a redesigned front and rear LED strip, 17-inch multi-spoke wheels instead of the previous 17-inch 5-spoke wheels. Inside, the car's interior has popular amenities such as leather seats, electric driver's seat, anti-glare rearview mirror, paddle shifters, HUD glass, front seat cooling, wireless charging, automatic electronic handbrake Auto Hold... depending on the version.

In terms of safety equipment, the most notable is the high-end GT-Line version equipped with ADAS active safety features such as forward collision warning (FCA), Stop & Go intelligent adaptive cruise control (SCC), lane departure warning (LFA), door opening hazard warning (SEW), driver distraction warning (DAW)...

Quick comparison of KIA New Seltos GT-Line version with competitors:

The selling price of the KIA New Seltos 2024 model has slightly decreased in the low version and increased sharply in the high version. In particular, the cheapest version New Seltos 1.5 AT is priced at 599 million VND, a decrease of 5 million compared to the old version, equal to the post-promotion price of the equivalent version Mitsubishi Xforce GLX and Hyundai Creta 1.5 Standard.

In higher versions, when competitors have just recently reduced prices sharply (Mitsubishi Xforce reduced by 19-21 million, Hyundai Creta reduced by 40-41 million VND), the price of New Seltos is currently much higher.

The KIA New Seltos 1.5 Luxury version costs 679 million VND, an increase of 30-45 million compared to the old version, 39 million more expensive than the same version Mitsubishi Xforce Exceed, 29 million more expensive than Hyundai Creta 1.5 Special and 20 million more expensive than Mazda CX-3 Luxury.

The New Seltos 1.5L Premium version costs 739 million VND, an increase of 30-40 million compared to the old version, and is 59 million more expensive than the same version Mitsubishi Xforce Premium, 40 million more expensive than Hyundai Creta 1.5 Premium and 85 million more expensive than Mazda CX-3 Premium.

The price of the highest-end version Seltos 1.5 Turbo GT-Line has not been announced yet, similar to the price of Mitsubishi Xforce Ultimate which is still unknown.

When it was first launched, KIA Seltos led the segment, making it into the top 10 best-selling cars, but is now losing momentum. In 2023, only 9,663 KIA Seltos were sold, with sales down 22%. In the context of the car market not recovering, the high price will make it difficult for KIA New Seltos 2024 to compete in the already crowded B-size SUV segment.