As Kia Motors India commenced trial production at its new Anantapur facility in Andhra Pradesh, the automaker also showcased the near production-spec SP2i compact SUV. The all-new offering will be the South Korean car maker’s first product in India and is all set to be launched in the second half of 2019. In fact, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu confirmed that production of the SP2i will commence in the second half of the year, while carandbike has confirmed that the launch is around the festive season. The SP2i is the internal name of the compact SUV while the production name will be revealed later this year.
With respect to the launch timeline, the Kia SP2i will be revealed in its production avatar around April-May this year, which is also when we will see the automaker will reveal the name of the SUV. The company had held the contest for the name of the car and the one which would have got the most votes will be the production name of the SP2i. The name ‘KIA Trazor’ was last seen to be one of the forerunners for the SP2i. The company is expected to commence bookings by August this year, while the official launch and deliveries are likely to be close to Diwali.
The Kia SP2i will be a Hyundai Creta, Jeep Compass rival sharing its underpinnings with the former. The model will also be positioned at a premium over the Creta, so you can expect a better equipment list as well. Details on the power figures and engines will be available closer to launch but expect both petrol and diesel options, along with manual and automatic transmissions too. The camouflaged version revealed little about the SP2i but we did get a glimpse of the bold gloss black finished grille quite similar to the concept and the projector lens headlamps replacing the all-LED lights from the concept. The SP2i looks visibly large but will be a five-seater offering.
The Kia SP2i compact SUV will be the first car to be produced at the Kia Anantapur plant, which will be followed by 4 to 5 new launches spread over the next two and a half years. Electric vehicles are also in the pipeline for Kia in India and the current facility is capable of producing the same as well without any changes.
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