 "Bigger and better: Kia Syros a segment disrupter or a game changer?")
Compact SUVs have been ruling the roost in India. In terms of sales, it’s been one of the most rewarding segments for Indian carmakers of late with subcompact SUVs and compact SUVs together holding more than 25 per cent market share in FY24. But, are the volumes rewarding enough to have two models in the same segment?
The new Kia Syros, which is the Korean brand’s new subcompact SUV, recently made its India debut and will be sold alongside the existing Kia Sonet subcompact SUV once prices are announced in January 2025 at the Bharat Mobility Expo.
Premium Positioning
It’s not ideal to have two models in the same segment as it leads to cannibalisation in sales. Well, Kia India says the new Kia Syros will have a premium positioning compared to the Sonet and is intended to bridge the gap between both the models: Kia Sonet and the Kia Seltos.
Speaking with Business Standard, Teck Koun Kim from Kia Global Design Centre said, “Right on the subcompact segment, we have the Sonet which covers the mainstream SUV direction in terms of the height, the silhouette and the sporty design character. So that covers the mainstream direction and crossovers, but the difference in the Syros, compared to the Sonet is the space inside. In the subcompact segment, you are always limited on the space. So what we did with the Syros is we increased the wheelbase to have an extra level of comfort in the second row, and we increased the height to give the maximum perceived space as well. It has practical space for both first row and second row passengers, and the sliding and reclining function on the second-row seats really work. With this silhouette and proportion, you achieve the maximum headroom and you have a better sitting position along with the storage space in the trunk (boot).”
Market Opportunity
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The Korean brand cited an opportunity between the subcompact SUV and compact SUV segments. The Kia Syros being sub-four metre SUV gets tax benefits enabling the brand achieving competitive pricing compared to bigger compact SUVs like the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Crerta and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara among others. At the same time, the updated K1 platform and the tall-boy design gives it bigger footprint and dimensions, making it more suitable for Indian families.
For your perspective, the new Syros is 10 mm wider than the Sonet measuring 1,800 mm in width, 55 mm taller measuring 1,665 mm in height and has a 50 mm longer wheelbase (space between front and rear wheels) at 2,550 mm. It also offers the largest boot capacity at 465-litres in the subcompact SUV segment, 80-litres more than the Sonet.
Kia India says that the tall-boy design and brighter interior colour give the Syros a better sense of space on the inside even compared to the bigger Seltos SUV. The reclining and sliding rear seat is also exclusive to the Syros, making it a better utilitarian with option to either store more luggage or make more kneeroom for rear passengers. Both the Sonet and Seltos miss out on this feature.
Suited for Indian needs
Kia Syros will be positioned between the Sonet and Seltos and will make for a better family car. Kim says that it’s been designed to fit people of all communities, wearing different kind of attires, be it women in sarees or traditional Indian gowns that need more cabin width or turban wearing men who need more headroom.
“The extra headroom helps in the Indian market as there are people in India who wear turban. India is a country of diversity, many different cultures and religions and how you also dress right. So that kind of extra usability I think helps to open new chapter,” Kim added.
Value For Money
Kia Syros is not only targeted at Indian families, but also individuals who want a more spacious car for their occasional long drives with family and friends, and a feature loaded cabin for regular usage, at the price of a subcompact SUV. Therefore, Kia Syros will not only rival the likes of the top-end variants of models like Kia Sonet, Tata Nexon, Mahindra 3XO and Maruti Suzuki Brezza, which have limited space, but are well equipped with tech and creature comforts, as well as base and mid-variant models like the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta, Honda Elevate and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara which offer more space but miss out on quite a few bells & whistles like ventilated seats, bigger touchscreen, connected tech, panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting or a premium audio system among others.
“Well, in the end, there will be overlapping customers, for sure, because it's the same sub-four metre segment and then it's an SUV. But I think the usability, or the user experience that we can provide in the Syros is very different to Sonet. Sonet is, as you can see is a typical sporty SUV. But it's limited in space, right? So the value that we cover with the Sonet and the value we cover with the Syros is very different. This is spacious and is a utilitarian. So these are very different, the user experience that we want to deliver, so our customers can choose between a spacious and utilitarian SUV or sporty SUV,” Kim said.
Ex-showroom prices of the new Kia Syros is expected to start around Rs 8 lakh for the base petrol variant and go up to Rs 16.5 lakh for the top-end diesel trim.
Best-in-segment features
The new Kia Syros will offer quite a few segment-first features like 17-inch alloy wheels, front & rear ventilated seats, panoramic sunroof, 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 12.3-inch instrument cluster, premium Harman Kardon audio system and Level 2 ADAS (Advance Driver Assist System) among others. The engine line-up will be shared with the Kia Sonet: a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol belting out 118 bhp and 172 Nm of peak torque mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT), and a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine belting out 114 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque mated to either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox.