Kia India has officially announced that the Sonet subcompact SUV has achieved a sales milestone of 1 lakh units. Launched in September 2020, the SUV attracted a lot of attention because of its price tag and the features it had to offer. The SUV achieved this landmark in less than a year since its launch. The South Korean automaker says the Sonet also became the fourth most sold SUV in the country during the same period. The made-in-India SUV contributes about 32 per cent of Kia India's overall sales and almost 17 per cent to the segment.
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The refreshed Kia Sonet went on sale in India earlier this year
Speaking on the milestone, Tae-Jin Park, Executive Director and Chief Sales & Business Strategy Officer, Kia India said, "The Sonet was launched when the auto industry was facing its worst slump in history with the advent of COVID-19 pandemic. The market was battling rock-bottom customer sentiment amidst manufacturing and supply chain setbacks. We introduced the Sonet in September last year against all odds, and it would not be an understatement to say that it has rewritten Kia's success story in India and has made a stronghold in the segment with its industry-leading features and specifications. The one-fourth contribution of the iMT variant in total sales testifies that the model has also revolutionised the adaption of new technologies. The PV segment has been witnessing multiple transformations over the years, and as a leading automaker, we are committed to the changing trends and offering new-age driving experience to our customers across segments."
The refreshed Kia Sonet went on sale in India earlier this year with the brand's new logo and an extensive list of features, and several segment-firsts. It is available in 17 variants across two trims - Tech Line & GT-Line that are classified further in several options based on powertrains and transmissions.
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The 2021 Kia Sonet is available in a total of 17 variants
The carmaker says top-of-the-line variants of the Sonet has contributed almost 64 per cent to the overall dispatches. Around 30 per cent of the customers preferred a connected variant of the Sonet, and 26 per cent opted for the variant with iMT technology. Moreover, the 1.5-litre diesel variant with automatic transmission contributed almost 10 per cent of its overall sales.
The Kia Sonet subcompact SUV gets three powertrain choices - 1.2 naturally-aspirated Smartstream, 1.0-litre turbocharged T-GDI petrol and 1.5-litre diesel. While the naturally aspirated petrol engine is tuned to make 81 bhp & 115 Nm, the turbocharged petrol mill develops 117bhp and 172Nm. The diesel engine is tuned to churn out 99 bhp and 240 Nm of peak torque. Transmission options include the 5-speed manual on the Smartstream, while the turbo petrol gets the 7-speed DCT and the 6-speed Intelligent Manual Transmission (IMT). The 1.5-litre diesel comes paired with the 6-speed manual and the new 6-speed torque convertor.
