The design language of Kias new electric vehicles (EVs) continue to trickle down to gasoline-powered models, and the Seltos will be the Korean brand’s next vehicle to get a more EV-like look.
We’ve seen this recently with the new K4 (Cerato replacement) and Sportage, and now the next generation of Seltos will feature a design inspired by the similarly sized EV5.
Videos uploaded to social media and the South Korean spy photographer’s YouTube Short car shows off the upcoming Kia Seltos covered in camouflage, though the black cladding can’t hide its distinctive new shape.
That includes a boxier and squarer design front and rear, again with inspiration seemingly taken from the recently launched EV5.
There are hundreds of new car deals available through AutoExpert now. Get the experts on your side and score a good deal. Browse now.
Elements from the current Seltos, such as the integrated roof rails, remain present, although wider wheel arch moldings suggest that Kia will go for a bolder appearance with the new SUV.
It will reportedly go into production in 2025 and will replace the now six-year-old Seltos, which debuted in 2019 and is one of Kia’s most popular models in Australia.
As previously reported by the South Korean publication ET Newsthe next generation Seltos will offer a choice of petrol or hybrid powertrains.
The new Seltos Hybrid is expected to feature the same powertrain as the Hyundai Kona Hybrid, but will offer the option of an electronic all-wheel drive (E-AWD) system.
The front-wheel drive Kona Hybrid combines a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with a 32 kW/172 Nm electric motor, a 1.32 kWh battery pack and a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The total system power is 104 kW and 265 Nm.
Kia already has a similarly sized hybrid SUV in the Niro, which also offers the option of an electric powertrain.
This means that the Niro overlaps with the electric EV3, which is due to be released in 2025, but Kia has said that it sees room for both the electric Niro and the EV3.
As much as the EV3 seems to cannibalize the Niro EV, the next generation of Seltos could steal sales from the Niro HEV.
The current Niro is 4385mm long, making it only marginally larger than the 4420mm Seltos, which is expected to grow in the next generation.
Kia confirmed at Investor Day earlier this year that it plans to expand its hybrid offering from six models in 2024 to eight in 2026 and nine in 2028, with next-generation hybrid powertrains offering better performance, torque and fuel efficiency .
In Australia, Kia sold 4048 hybrids across the Sportage, Niro, Sorento and Carnival model lines between January and September 2024.
This placed it seventh out of 11 brands selling hybrids in Australia, well behind market leader Toyota (88,919 sales) and less than half Hyundai’s total (9062 sales).
MORE: Everything Kia Seltos
