Kia Sonet Facelift to get ADAS: Teaser confirms [Video]

Kia India has officially teased the Sonet Facelift ahead of its India debut on December 14. The prices for the updated model will be announced early next year. In the 20-second teaser video, Kia reveals the revised exterior design of the Sonet, confirming previous spy shots that showed significant updates to both the exterior and interior. The teaser highlights a red color scheme and showcases a redesigned front fascia with a slimmer grille, tweaked headlights featuring inverted LED daytime running lights, fog lamps on the bumper, and a silver faux skid plate.

The Sonet Facelift will also feature new alloy wheels on the sides. While no rear details were shown in the teaser, it can be expected that the updated model will have new wraparound tail-lights connected by an LED light bar, as seen on the new Seltos. These updates mark the first mid-cycle refresh for the Sonet since its launch in 2020.

To get ADAS

The most significant news about the Sonet Facelift is the addition of autonomous driving assistance systems. Sources suggest that, similar to its sibling and rival, the Hyundai Venue, Kia’s compact SUV will receive Level 1 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), including features like forward collision warning, lane departure warning, forward collision avoidance assistance and warning, high beam assist, and lane keeping assist, among others.

Safety features such as six airbags will continue to be standard across all trims, while higher trims will offer additional features like a rear camera, cornering lamps, hill-start assist, electronic stability control (ESC), and a tire pressure monitoring system.

With these upgrades, it is expected that the facelifted Sonet will command a slightly higher price than the current version. The current Sonet is priced between Rs 7.79 lakh and Rs 14.89 lakh (ex-showroom). The updated Sonet SUV will continue to compete with rivals such as the Mahindra XUV300, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Renault Kiger, Tata Nexon, and Hyundai Venue.

Same engine options

Kia will retain the same engine options as the pre-facelift Sonet for the updated model. The range will include an 83hp, 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox. There will also be a 120hp, 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine and a 116hp, 250Nm, 1.5-litre diesel engine. The turbo-petrol and diesel engines will continue to be offered with a 6-speed intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT), while there are reports of the Sonet diesel-manual making a comeback. The turbo-petrol and diesel engines will also have the option of a 7-speed dual-clutch and 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission, respectively.