The Kia Seltos was launched in February 2020, and among other notable facts about it, its presentation was the last in-person automotive event we attended before the pandemic. Incidentally, 2023 will be the fourth year of the SUV on the market, although when it arrived in the spring of 2020, it was billed as a 2021 product.
Either way you do the math, Kia is giving the model some changes. The upgraded version will be presented at the Busan Motor Show in South Korea next month; after that it will launch on its domestic market, before arriving in North America most likely early next year. No word yet on whether the version we get will be a 2023 or 2024 model.
The images reveal a new design for the front grille and the bumper. The space reserved for the fog lights also changes a bit, while the headlights now feature a line extending towards the centre of the grille.
From the side, the model remains relatively unchanged, except for the wheels, which sport a new look. We also note the presence of a camera under the rearview mirror, which suggests a peripheral vision system with some versions.
Browse cars for sale available near you
At the rear, a light strip connects the lights, which also get a new design. The lower part of the bumper, in black, now integrates the reflectors.
Inside, the changes are significant, the traditional instrument cluster giving way to a combination of 10.25-inch screens that span two-thirds of the dashboard. The centre part of the dashboard contains the multimedia system, of course. Fortunately, the buttons for the climate control system have been retained. Note that the gear selector, previously of a traditional format, has been replaced by a rotary dial. Overall, the interior appears more upscale, from where we sit.
Given that we know pretty much all that’s to be learned about the design of the next Seltos, the big news to come out of the coming presentation will be what’s found under the hood. Does Kia have any surprises in store? We'll have to wait and see, because there could be some differences between the model presented and the revised Seltos coming to North America.
