Kia Australia has released further preliminary details for the second-generation Seltos Hybrid (HEV), due in local showrooms around October 2026.
The Korean brand’s local division says to expect a similar range walk to the outgoing range – ie S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line – with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations to be available depending on variant.
Further, pricing remains “TBC” but “will be competitive” against the likes of the top-selling (and related) Hyundai Kona with nationwide drive-away pricing – pointing to a sub $40,000 on-road starting point given the Kona Hybrid is currently on offer for $39,990 D/A.
Kia Australia has also confirmed the new Seltos will get localised suspension and steering tunes, which are currently being finalised Down Under. The brand says to “expect a more responsive, firmly damped and with reduced body roll for local Australian tastes – when compared to Korean spec cars on launch”, with “adjustments made to the damper and spring rates, with a different steering tune”.
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Australian-bound Seltos vehicles will be assembled at Kia’s AutoLand Hwasung plant located just south of Seoul in the brand’s home of South Korea, not the AutoLand Gwangju plant further south that supplies the Korean domestic market as well as North America.
As such, Australia will likely miss out on some of the headline colour choices available in Korea and the US, including matte finishes and even the Iceberg Green or Forest Blue options in the global media kit. It’s unclear whether Kia Australia will offer more than one interior upholstery option depending on variant, too.
The range has already been confirmed to be hybrid-only for Australia, even with a range of petrol and diesel powertrains confirmed for various overseas markets.
FWD versions will get a 113kW/265Nm 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder hybrid setup, while e-AWD models will add another electric motor on the rear axle for electrified AWD, with system power boosted to around 133kW. The Seltos is the first model from the Hyundai Motor Group to utilise the new electrified AWD (e-AWD) setup.
Further details for the local range remain slim, but we can expect variations of the connected car navigation cockpit (ccNC) across the lineup with a 12.3-inch central touchscreen as well as an available 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. In some other Kia models, the high-end digital cluster is swapped out for a more basic LCD version with a 4.3-inch screen.
It’s also unclear whether the Seltos will follow the related K4 small car range in offering a sharply priced base grade with an optional Safety Pack, the latter adding a more sophistication AEB setup and the upgraded cluster and infotainment package. Further, it could also mean a split safety rating like its hatch and sedan stablemates.
Otherwise, expect a full complement of airbags, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic assists, and a reversing camera to be standard across the range, with up-spec models adding premium features like Kia’s Blind Spot View Monitor camera feeds, surround-view camera system, and the semi-autonomous Highway Driving Assist system with automated Lane Change Assist.
Stay tuned to CarExpert for a full price and specs breakdown for the new Seltos as soon as details are announced, and you can read our international first drive review on-site now.
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