The Kia Syros sports utility vehicle has been unveiled in India

(L to R) Hardeep Singh Brar, Senior Vice President National Head of Sales Marketing, Tech Kaun Kim, Kia Global Design Center, Gwangju Lee, MD & CEO, Kia India and Joonsu Cho, CSO, Kia India. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangements

Kia India unveiled its highly-anticipated compact SUV, the Syros, the fifth addition to its SUV line-up for the Indian market. Positioned between the Kia Seltos and Sonet, the Syros is set to target a more premium audience, and enable Kia to further strengthen its presence in the fastest-growing SUV segment.

Bookings for Syros will begin on January 3. Its price has not been revealed yet. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in early February.

The Syros will be available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The 1.0-litre turbocharged engine in the petrol variant delivers 118 bhp and 172 Nm of torque, mated to either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The diesel variant is powered by a 1.5-litre engine, which produces 116 bhp and 250 Nm, available with a six-speed manual or six-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

Other features offered on the Syros include a panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, rear sunshade, ambient lighting, rear AC vents, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 8-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, and connected car features with remote window ventilation.

The Syros is equipped with a number of safety features including Level 2 ADAS. The car has a 360 degree camera, ESC, hill start, 6 airbags and disc brakes on all four corners.

“Our current market share is 15% across the three segments we operate in, which are low SUV, mid SUV and mid multi-purpose vehicle. When the Syros comes next year, we want it to go to 15% 20%,” said Hardeep S Brar, senior vice president, and head of marketing and sales at Kia India.

Senior industry executives said car sales growth could be between 5 percent and 10 percent next year. Apart from the general elections, IT layoffs also affected sales, which saw the lowest growth in sales in southern states, he said. “Now, with IT layoffs behind us and new hires starting, I think the growth should be in the high single digits. The only big factor we don’t know is how the monsoon will go next year. If the monsoon is normal, I think it will be for next year. There could be high single-digit growth,” he said.