Kia’s second best-selling model in Australia will soon be getting an update.
A mid-cycle update for the small Kia Seltos SUV will arrive in Australia sometime in 2022.
Expect the usual mid-cycle cosmetic tweaks, like revised headlights, tail lights and front and rear bumpers.
Kia Australia has said it’s looking to expand the availability of LED headlights in its line-up. In the Seltos, these are restricted to the flagship GT-Line.
The refreshed Hyundai Kona could give us a guide to what to expect in the Seltos.
In addition to cosmetic tweaks, it gained lane-following assist across the range plus safe exit warning in some models.
Pictured: current Kia Seltos 
Pictured: 2021 Hyundai Kona
While the Kona and Seltos’ base engines now feature identical outputs and a continuously-variable transmission, the Kona N Line’s turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine now outpunches the Seltos’ turbo 1.6-litre (130kW vs 146kW).
Expect the Sport Plus and GT-Line’s blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert to be replaced by blind-spot assist and rear cross-traffic assist systems, which will apply the brakes if they detect you heading into the path of another vehicle.
The Seltos currently only offers autonomous emergency braking with both pedestrian and cyclist detection only in the Sport+, GT-Line, and models with the Safety Pack, with regular S and Sport models featuring only vehicle and pedestrian detection.
Given the updated Kona gained this more sophisticated system across the range with its 2021 update, it stands to reason the Seltos could get it across the board, too.
Another possibility for the updated Seltos is the option of a digital instrument cluster, as can be found on the likes of up-spec Hyundai Kona and i30 Sedan models.
For 2021, the Seltos’ AEB system gained junction assist, while models with the 8.0-inch touchscreen added wireless smartphone mirroring.
The current Seltos has proven so popular with buyers it has long wait times.
While Kia executives wouldn’t confirm precise waiting times, CarExpert understands buyers are experiencing waits of up to four months for the Seltos.
While the Cerato remains Kia’s best-seller, the Seltos – introduced in 2019 – is now the runner-up.
Kia sold 17,599 Cerato models in Australia last year, with 9966 of the Seltos and the Sportage narrowly behind with 9579 sales.
So far in 2021, the Seltos is sitting at 3207 sales against 5993 Cerato models and 2820 Sportages.
It was the third best-seller in the small SUV segment last year, behind only its corporate cousin the Hyundai Kona (12,514) and the Mitsubishi ASX (14,056).
Its position isn’t quite as exalted this year, with the Seltos sitting in seventh behind the ASX, MG ZS, Kona, Mazda CX-30, Toyota C-HR and Nissan Qashqai.
