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Honestly, I have lost count of the number of SUV / crossover available in the Kia stable. A quick check on Kia (Korea) website, revealed the following: Telluride Mohave (Borrego) Sorento Sportage Seltos Niro Stonic Soul That seems to be a lot of SUV / crossover for company with a total of 19 distinctive models in it lineup (some are not available here through). Now, Kia has just announced another new sub-compact SUV in India, and they plan to introduce it to other market at a later stage. That's too much of SUV / crossover if you ask me, but it seems that NO auto manufacturers are immune to the "crossover virus", which started spreading since 5 - 10 years ago. Kia Sonet Kia Sonet is an all-new subcompact SUV to be produced at Kia's Anantpur facility for sale in India and also exported to international markets. Rivalling the likes of Hyundai Venue and Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Kia Sonet shares its engine and platform with the sister company Venue subcompact SUV and will be the second car in the country to feature clutchless transmission. Upfront, the Kia Sonet gets the company’s signature ‘Tiger Nose’ with all-LED headlamps. The side profile looks quite impressive too and the car has a decent amount of lines and creases running across the body length, further escalating its sporty appeal. Now, coming to the interiors of the Kia Sonet, the SUV gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with as many as 55 UVO connected features as well. Moreover, you also get a digital instrument cluster and the same will come as standard on higher-spec variants. Apart from these, Kia Sonet comes with a three-spoke steering wheel with integrated buttons and scroll wheels. Prime features on the Kia Sonet include an auto climate control system, Bose sound system, electric sunroof, front ventilated seats, ambient lighting and six airbags – front, side and curtain. The Sonet also gets the world’s first virus protection tech for better safety in times like the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Kia will also be offering a smartwatch with the Sonet for remote functions. The list doesn’t end here as the Kia Sonet will also come with a wireless charger with a cooling function. The Sonet will be offered in a dual trim concept including the GT-Line trim that gets sporty-looking highlights on the outside as well as inside. The Kia Sonet will be launched with three engine options – two petrol and a diesel. These include a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol motor, a more powerful 1.0 T-GDi petrol mill and a 1.5-litre CRDi diesel unit. Transmission options on the Kia Sonet include five and six-speed manuals along with a seven-speed DCT, six-speed automatic, and more importantly, a new six-speed Smartstream intelligent manual transmission (iMT) that was seen on the Hyundai Venue iMT very recently. The biggest benefit of this transmission is that it offers clutchless shifting with the control of a manual shift lever. That said, the iMT on the Kia Sonet offers operation exactly like a manual gearbox with the need to shift gears but there is no clutch pedal. The Kia Sonet will also be offered with a six-speed automatic gearbox option with the 1.5-litre diesel engine option. You also get multi-drive & traction modes and grip control for the automatic variants of the Sonet.