Kia has officially taken the wraps off its new Sonet, with the fresh-faced baby crossover scheduled to launch in South Africa before the end of 2020.

Like the Seltos, the new Sonet will be imported to South Africa from India.

In that market, the Sonet will be offered with a range of powertrain choices. In fact, there will be a brace of petrol engines (a naturally aspirated 1,2-litre, four-cylinder unit and a more powerful, turbocharged 1,0 T-GDi mill) as well as a 1,5-litre CRDi turbodiesel engine.

In India, transmission choices will include conventional five- and six-speed manuals, a seven-speed dual-clutch item, a six-speed automatic gearbox and a six-speed “intelligent” manual transmission without a clutch pedal (as already offered in India by the closely related Hyundai Venue).

Kia Motors South Africa says more information about SA-spec powertrain and transmission options “will be released closer to the local launch date”.

The Korean firm claims the Sonet’s suspension setup have been tuned to “match its exuberant design”, offering “high driving pleasure for enthusiasts”. Interestingly, in India at least, the Sonet will be available in both standard form and a “sporty” GT-Line trim. There will be eight monotone and three dual-tone exterior colour options.

Inside, you’ll find a 10,25-inch touchscreen, while big-car options for India will include a Bose seven-speaker audio system, ventilated front seats, remote engine start, over-the-air map updates, multiple drive and traction modes, and wireless smartphone charging.

Safety features (again, take note this is for the Indian market) include six airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control, hill-start assist control, vehicle stability management, brake assist and IsoFix child-seat anchors. In addition, front and rear parking sensors will be offered, along with tyre-pressure monitoring and automatic headlamps.

Original article from Car