Kia Motors India Ltd has unveiled its first compact sport utility vehicle, Sonet, to consolidate its position in the growing sport utility vehicle segment in the domestic market. This is Kia’s third product in India after the mid-sized SUV, Seltos, and premium multi-utility vehicle, Carnival.

The sport utility vehicle segment has been the fastest-growing segment in the domestic market over the last five years and most automakers are eyeing a share of the pie with product launches. This fiscal, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Nissan Motor India Ltd, and Renault India Pvt ltd are also expected to launch their compact SUVs.

“The Sonet fills a need in the growing SUV market, in India and further afield, and will attract a wider number of consumers to the Kia brand,” said Ho Sung Song, President and CEO at Kia Motors Corporation.

The Sonet, first showcased at the Auto Expo in February, will be available in models with 1.2, and 1-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. The company, however, did not announce prices of the models.

In June, Kia announced that it was the first car maker to sell 1 lakh vehicles in India within a span of 11 months. The South Korean manufacturer dispatched 97,745 units of its mid-size sport utility vehicle Seltos and 3,614 units of premium multi-utility vehicle Carnival during the period.

Kia Motors started operations in India in 2019 and has set up a greenfield vehicle manufacturing plant in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, with a capacity to manufacture 3 lakh units per year.