Kia Sonet to launch on Friday: Price expectation of sub-compact SUV

Kia Sonet, one of the most awaited cars in India, will finally go on sale on Friday (September 18). It is going to be the third product from Kia Motors India after the popular Seltos and the Carnival luxury MPV.

The Sonet sub-compact SUV will be placed in the hotly contested sub-4 metre SUV segment against the already established rivals such as Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300.

Sonet has already made headlines in the past for the kind of features it promises to offer but in order to really set the segment on fire and make a name for itself, the pricing will have to be set right.

Based on the inputs from several Kia dealerships, it will be safe to expect that Sonet may start from around ₹7 lakh in India. But in order to really make a mark, Kia may go for an even more aggressive entry price tag starting from around ₹6.70 lakh to ₹6.80 lakh. This price may, of course, rise in the future as Kia had used a similar strategy in case of Seltos. The SUV had received a minor hike as soon as the introductory offer ended within months of launch.

The expected entry level pricing of ₹7 lakh will help Sonet undercut its rivals such as Maruti Vitara Brezza, Mahindra XUV300 and Tata Nexon, all of which start at a slightly higher price tag of ₹7.34 lakh, ₹7.95 lakh and ₹6.99 lakh, respectively.

In short, Kia will most likely place the Sonet on the same lines as the Hyundai Venue which is currently the segment leader and is priced at ₹6.70 lakh.

The Sonet will be made available in dual trim just like the Seltos. There will be a Tech Line trim as well as the higher-spec GT Line trim. Prices for the top-of-the-line variants may extend somewhere up to ₹13 lakh.

(All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi)