Kia Motors is all buckled-up to launch its most affordable offering in the Indian market. This South Korean car manufacturer entered the industry in August 2019 with the Kia Seltos mid-size SUV. Kia Seltos created a strong positive brand image for the carmaker in India and boomed the market with a storm. This mid-size SUV shattered all previous records and set a new benchmark in its category. It was because of Kia Seltos that the mid-size SUV segment grew exponentially and it set the sales chart on fire. The South Korean carmaker is now all set to once again disrupt the market with its upcoming Kia Sonet compact SUV, but there's a problem.
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The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion under the Ministry of Industry & Commerce, Government of India, has objected the 'Kia Sonet' name in the Indian market. Kia Motors has applied three applications with different names - 'Sonet', 'Kia Sonet', and 'Sonet Concept' for its upcoming compact SUV but while browsing through the Public Seach for Trademarks India, we found that all the applications currently stand with an Objected status. The exact reason for the objection of 'Kia Sonet name' is unclear at the moment. We also see (in the pic below) that the 'Sonet' word mark is already being used by 'Sonet Sanitarywares' and may be that is why the brand name was rejected by the govt for usage by Kia Motors.
Kia Motors showcased the concept version of the Sonet compact SUV at the 2020 Auto Expo and although it didn't officially confirm the name Sonet for the production model, it was postulated all-over that the production avatar of the compact SUV would be called the 'Kia Sonet.' Also, one thing to notice is the fact that Kia Motors also filed a trademark application for the Kia Rio hatchback back in 2016 which was rejected then. However, the carmaker has now re-applied for it and the status of Kia Rio's application currently stands at Mark for Exam which means that it is under evaluation.
The Kia Sonet will be the third offering from the South Korean carmaker in India after the Kia Seltos and the Kia Carnival Premium MPV. Buoyed by the success of these two utility vehicles in India, the carmaker expects the same kind of response or even better for the upcoming compact SUV. The Kia Sonet compact SUV will be based on the Hyundai Venue's platform and will even share powertrain options but it will be a slight premium offering compared to its cousin rival and will boast of plenty of features, including some segment first.
Kia Sonet will be powered by a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine, a 1.5-litre diesel engine, and a powerful 1.0-litre turbo-petrol unit. All the powertrain options might come with both manual as well as an automatic transmission. The compact SUV will also get Kias UVO connected car technology, a large 10.24-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an electric sunroof, etc. If everything goes right and Kia finds a new name or gets approval for Sonet, the compact SUV will be launched in August this year with prices ranging between Rs. 6.99 lakhs Rs. 12 lakhs, Ex-showroom.
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What do you think should be the production name of Kia Sonet Compact-SUV? Do let us know in the comments below.
