Kia reveals cabin of all-new compact SUV

Kia has shown off preliminary cabin details of its new compact SUV that will grace Australian showrooms from later this year.

The as-yet unnamed SUV, which was officially confirmed in sketches released by Kia last week, will take on popular compact offerings including the Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Kona with an impressive infotainment suite and youthful design, going off these fresh sketches.

Assuming pride of place within the cabin is a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display, which sits atop a clean, minimalist centre fascia that is largely devoid of hard-wired buttons and switchgear.

The dashboard is broken up by metallic highlights in the air vents and the entire cabin is interspersed by soft ambient lighting.

Elsewhere, there are open cubbies and cupholders, an electric park brake, passenger grab rails and purportedly premium materials at the contact points – despite the SUV’s anticipated positioning.

As we’ve reported previously, Kia’s first small SUV will be launched in Australia in the final quarter of this year, positioned below the mid-size Kia Sportage from around $25,000.

“We have focused on designing a cabin unlike any other in the small SUV segment, with a greater sense of depth and richness to the design. Our newest model will offer greater pleasure and satisfaction to our customers, with a premium-quality interior that benefits from sophisticated design details,” said Byung Chul Juh, head of styling at Kia Motors Corporation.

Kia Australia made room for its first direct rival for the Mazda CX-3 and Mitsubishi ASX when the upgraded 2018 Sportage was launched last year with a higher $29,990 starting price.

“It will have a clear air,” Kia Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith recently told carsales. “We haven’t done anything silly with Sportage so there’s plenty of space for it.”