The Kia Seltos is set to be updated next year – and rumours now suggest a hybrid option will join the line-up, with combined fuel consumption as low as four litres per 100 kilometres.
The facelifted 2023 Kia Seltos has been spied testing for the first time, ahead of its Australian launch in the second half of 2022 – and hybrid power could be on the agenda.
Images published to South Korea’s Autospy show a Seltos prototype clothed in heavy camouflage testing in its home market – and while specific styling details are difficult to discern, the black cladding appears to be hiding revised front and rear ends akin to Kia’s new Sportage medium SUV.
The alloy wheels appear to be new, as do the LED signatures inside the headlights. Few changes are visible in the tail-lights, though a new lighting signature seems likely.
No images of the Seltos facelift’s cabin have emerged, though given the current model already offers Kia’s mid-tier 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen (recently added to the Cerato small car), the updated SUV could gain a larger 12.3-inch central display from the Sportage, or a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster in front of the driver.
Whether these items would come to Australia remains unclear, given the 10.25-inch instrument display offered with the facelifted Cerato in South Korea isn’t available Down Under.
No engine changes are expected for the core range, with 110kW/180Nm 2.0-litre non-turbo and 130kW/265Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines, paired to CVT automatic and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions respectively.
However, The Korean Car Blog reports the diesel engine available overseas will be axed, and a new ‘self-charging’ hybrid system introduced, in a bid to take down market leader Toyota.
The website says the Seltos Hybrid will employ the same powertrain as the new-generation Niro Hybrid – a system itself shared with the old car – mating a 77kW/147Nm 1.6-litre non-turbo petrol engine with a 32kW/170Nm electric motor for combined outputs of 104kW and 265Nm.
The current hybrid Niro quotes a 3.8L/100km combined fuel consumption claim, though the less aerodynamic body of the larger Seltos should see it dip into the fours – still competitive with the 4.3L/100km of the Toyota C-HR Hybrid.
The Niro’s front-wheel-drive layout and six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission would be carried over.
On the safety front, upgrades aren’t as easy to predict, given the current Seltos already offers Kia’s latest blind-spot and rear cross-traffic assist systems – which can both detect and brake for hazards – and intersection support built into the autonomous emergency braking system.
The 2023 Kia Seltos is slated for unveiling in the first half of next year, ahead of an Australian launch in the second half of 2022.
Should the hybrid option be green-lit for Australia, it would become Kia Australia’s fourth hybrid SUV, following self-charging and plug-in hybrid versions of the Niro and Sorento – with the Sportage Hybrid available overseas also on the local arm’s wish list.
The post 2023 Kia Seltos hybrid rumoured, facelift spied testing appeared first on Drive.
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