Kia may discontinue Seltos, Sonet, Carens Diesel MT trims

Kia might discontinue the diesel manual trims of the Seltos, Sonet and Carens in the upcoming months, as per rumours.

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Kia is reportedly planning to discontinue the diesel manual trims of the Seltos, Sonet and Carens later this year. As per rumours, the optimizing its brisk selling conventional IC-engine lineup in the country.

If this is true, then the company will only have the 6-speed iMT (intelligent Manual Transmission) as the only manual option for diesel customers.

Currently, only the Seltos offers the 6-speed iMT option with the 1.5-liter diesel motor along with a 6-speed manual and automatic variants. The Sonet and Carens diesel variants are offered only in the conventional MT and AT.

The reason why Kia could stop offering the 6-speed manual transmission in its diesel variants is reportedly attributed to the changing customer preferences. Kia is likely to be aiming to strengthen the appeal of its portfolio by offering the iMT as standard across its diesel range. It would also enable the company to streamline its variant lineup with respect to market demand.

Currently, Kia offers the 1.5-litre diesel engine, that produces 113 BHP at 4,000 rpm and 250 Nm at 1,500-2,750 rpm. The motor comes coupled with a 6-speed manual, 6-speed iMT or a 6-speed automatic transmission. The 6-speed iMT has gained popularity in recent times as it is simpler than a fully automatic and convenient than a manual. It is also less expensive compared to a proper automatic gearbox.

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