This radical repositioning for the Seltos is part of an effort from Kia to expand the SUV’s appeal worldwide, but especially in Europe and the UK where it will be sold for the first time. This is why, as standard, the Seltos gets a 12.3in infotainment screen, a sunroof, second-row reclining seats and a head-up display, owing to an appetite in these markets for premium features compared with other regions. It also offers 536 litres of boot space.
Launched in 2019, the Seltos has proven to be one of Kia best global sellers, especially in Mexico and India – the latter where the car will continue to be built.
While it has also been sold in markets including North America, Australia and South Africa, it was never offered in Europe or the UK due to it not meeting the EU’s stringent (and costly) safety and emissions regulations.
CEO Ho Sung Song said the Seltos is “one of Kia’s most strategically important cars globally, like the Sportage” – that car being its global best-seller with more than half a million sales in 2025 alone.
Song added that it is because of the Sportage’s success – especially in the UK – that the Seltos will be offered here. “Because we are selling more than 150,000 units of the Sportage per year in the European market, we feel that we have a lot of opportunity to introduce Seltos,” he said, adding that the brand is targeting around 60,000 Seltos sales per year in Europe.