Kia Syros Compact SUV: Engine Details Revealed Ahead Of 19th December Unveil
Kia Motors is all set to introduce its 7th car for the Indian market in the form of the Syros compact SUV. The Syros will be unveiled in India on the 19th of December, 2024. The actual launch will happen at the Bharat Mobility Expo in January 2025, which is when prices will be revealed. The Syros will slot between the Sonet sub-4 meter SUV and the Seltos mid-size SUV in terms of price and positioning. Now, engine details of the Syros have been leaked.
AutocarIndia reports that the Syros will pick engines from the Sonet. The 1 liter-3 cylinder triple cylinder turbo petrol engine (118 Bhp-172 Nm) will be one engine while the other will be a 1.5 liter-4 cylinder turbocharged diesel (115 Bhp-250 Nm).
Both engines will get 6 speed manual gearboxes as standard. The petrol motor will get a 7 speed twin clutch automatic as an option while the turbo diesel will get a 6 speed torque converter automatic gearbox option.
Kia Motors will also equip the Syros with an all-electric powertrain, which it’s expected to share with the Carens MPV. In fact, the electric variants of the Syros and Carens are likely to be introduced in India towards the end of 2025. The Syros will be one of the first affordable electric cars from Kia for the Indian market. An all wheel drive range topping version could also be in the pipeline for the electric model of the SUV.
As for pricing, we expect the Syros to start from around Rs. 9 lakh or slightly lower. This will make it pricier than the Sonet but cheaper than the Seltos, allowing the new compact SUV to carve a niche out. However, there could be more than some cannibalization that happens thanks to the Syros, with both the Sonet and Seltos feeling the heat. Kia Motors won’t mind this as long as overall sales for the brand grows.
Kia Motors has always taken a premium-first approach in the Indian market, quite similar to its global strategy of packing its cars with the latest in technology and features. We expect the Syros to be no different on this front. In fact, the teaser has revealed that the Syros will get a panoramic sunroof on the higher trims – a feature that’s not available on the Sonet but is available on the Seltos.
Likewise, the Syros is expected to offer more features than the Sonet, which in itself is a feature-rich car. By not offering the larger 1.5 liter turbo petrol motor on the Syros, which incidentally the Sonet and Carens get, Kia will clearly differentiate the new SUV from its more expensive siblings.
Another big differentiator will be styling the Syros gets. While the Sonet and Seltos feel distinctly crossover-ish, the Syros will look a lot more butch – like a scaled down version of the top-of-the-line eV9 electric SUV. The butch lines will allow the Syros to appeal mainly to male buyers while the Sonet could be pushed towards the fairer sex.
The Syros will roll out from Kia Motors’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. A high amount of localization, and extensive part sharing with Sonet, Seltos and Carens, should allow Kia to price the Syros very competitively. Over to the big unveil now.
2025 will be a packed year for Kia Motor, with no less than 4 new cars expected. While the Syros petrol and diesel versions will be the first out of the gate, the facelifted Carens will follow later in the year. Also, the Syros and Carens will get electrified by the end of the year rounding off the launch matrix from the South Korean car brand owned partly by Hyundai.
Renders courtesy Autoweek.NL