Kia Stonic crossover fits well for India, says design head

Kia recently unveiled its new crossover, the Stonic, at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show and there’s a high probability it could make its way to India. This was indicated in an interview to Autocar India by Peter Schreyer, president and chief design officer, Hyundai Motor Group.

 “I think SUVs are an important segment (for India), especially small SUVs. They provide a high seating position and ability to negotiate rough roads which are common in India. We recently introduced the Stonic, a unique car with a lot of character, in Europe and Korea, and I think it will fit very well here.”

However, conceived for international markets, the crossover may be too expensive for India. Hence, it’s likely that a Stonic ’top hat’ could be built on all-new SUV platform that Kia is developing specifically for India and other emerging markets.

Internationally, the Stonic is based on the Kia Rio/Hyundai GB platform and is expected to take on the Nissan Juke. It is also closely related to sister company Hyundai’s Kona crossover which is expected to make its debut as an electric vehicle in India by late-2018.

The new crossover from Kia sports a muscular bonnet and a 'tiger nose' grille flanked by angular headlights and daytime running LED lights. It has a sporty look that is accentuated by a swooping roofline, flared wheel arches and large alloy wheels. The crossover will be offered with a range of engines including a 1.0-litre T-GDI petrol, 1.25-litre petrol, a 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre diesel.

Kia has already announced its plans to enter India with a US$1.1 billion (approximately Rs 6,949 crore) factory planned in Andhra Pradesh. It has an estimated annual capacity of 3 lakh units with production slated to begin in 2019. The Korean carmaker also recently conducted a series of dealer roadshows displaying a range of products across the country to prospective partners.

Also read: Kia kicks off its dealer roadshows in India