All-New Kia Seltos Hybrid Officially Confirmed

We informed you earlier that Kia will introduce the next-gen Seltos with a hybrid powertrain in the global markets in 2026. Now, Kia has officially confirmed a new hybrid engine for the new Seltos at the 2025 Investor Day. Internally codenamed SP3i, the new mid-sized SUV will be a direct rival to the Maruti Grand Vitara Hybrid and the Toyota Hyryder Hybrid. 

New Kia Seltos Debut in 2025

It is expected that the all-new Kia Seltos will make global debut towards the end of this year. The India-spec model will also come with the option of a hybrid powertrain in 2027. The Korean brand hasn't shared any specific technical details of the SUV. It is expected to be based on the existing 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, naturally-aspirated petrol engine. 

New Strong Hybrid Powertrain (Launch in 2027)

The hybrid powertrain is likely to comprise of a 1.5L NA petrol engine, a small battery pack and an electric motor. This hybrid setup is also expected to be offered on future Kia cars including a new 7-seater SUV, which is currently under development. Not just Kia, Hyundai is also developing a new 7-seater SUV for the Indian market. 

The Korean brand is aiming to introduce multiple hybrid cars in India. According to the company, hybrids will account for 25 percent of its sales in India by 2030. EVs could contribute around 18 percent of total Kia sales in India.

Not just hybrids, the next-gen Kia Seltos will also be offered with existing 1.5L turbo petrol and diesel engines. The SUV will receive significant design and interior changes. Its styling will be completely new and will be inspired by latest gen Kia electric SUVs including the EV9 and EV5. 

Key Details

The next-gen Kia Seltos is likely to be built on the modified version of the existing platform, which also underpins the Hyundai Creta. This architecture is compatible with multiple powertrains including petrol, diesel, petrol-hybrid and electric. 

We believe that the next-gen Kia Seltos will receive an all-new premium and feature-loaded interior with inspiration from new Syros and bigger Kia models including Carnival and EV9. It will have bigger connected screen that houses bigger touchscreen, digital instrument console and a display for climate control system. It is likely to be equipped with more features compared to the existing model.

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