Kia Sonet small SUV pipes up

The all-new Kia Sonet compact SUV is tipped to break cover at the 2020 Auto Expo in early February and it could be headed to Australia in the future.

The Korean brand is expected to begin sales of the Kia Sonet in India in the second half of 2020 and while an Aussie-fied model would likely require larger engines and more safety equipment than required by Indian market standards, it's certainly not an impossibility for Australia.

After celebrating a strong finish to its annual sales in 2019, Kia – one of the few brands to record positive growth in Australia last year – is keen slot another SUV into its range below the new Seltos small SUV (a design sketch of which is pictured here).

It's almost certain the Kia Sonet will share its platform, infotainment and key features with the new Hyundai Venue, which has just been released in Australia priced from under $20,000.

Kia Australia is keeping tight-lipped at present – despite the Sonet name being officially trademarked by Kia in Australia last month – but the brand is clearly keen on a compact SUV to take on the likes of the Mitsubishi ASX, Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Venue.

Kia Australia's general manager of media and corporate communications, Kevin Hepworth, would only confirm that the vehicle has a name.

"It's been named in India," he told carsales.com.au. "[But] We know nothing about it at this stage."

However, Kia Australia's comms chief did say the brand is on the lookout for a compact SUV.

"Something underneath Seltos? There's space for it," he opined.

"That segment is certainly of interest. Whether that's the right car for us, time will tell," he said.

India's version of the Sonet is tipped to get a compact 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, but if it made the journey to Australia it would also certainly be packing more artillery – probably a 1.6-litre donk like the Hyundai Venue.