LA Auto Show 2019

Meet the 2021 Kia Seltos, a subcompact SUV with an adventurous spirit

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Nov 21, 2019, 12:37 am

Kia has designed the Seltos to be an urban, suburban, and trail explorer.

Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

Hyundai has the Venue and now Kia has the Seltos, a subcompact SUV that slots into their lineup between the smaller Soul and the bigger Sportage. The SUV is new for the 2021 model year.

Seltos combines the design of Sportage and Soul well, walking the line between funky and functional, assertive and inviting.

2021 Kia Seltos The model is meant to look more rugged than the Hyundai Venue.Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

On the outside, it's easy to see that the Seltos shares a platform with the Venue though Kia's styling is more straightforward and edges toward a customer more apt to enjoy a fresh design approach whereas the Hyundai's look is much safer. Kia has positioned the Seltos as a capable off-roader noting that tits lower front bumper design allows for a sharper approach angle, it has front and rear skid plates and black wheel arch cladding. However, it's also meant to be stylish, sporting dual exhaust pipes with chrome trim, 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels, and red wheel center caps. The Seltos boasts 7.2 inches of ground clearance.

Under its hood is the buyer's choice of the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder end that produces 146 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque or the available turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers a spirited 175 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. The larger engine is paired with an intelligent variable transmission and the smaller is mated to a dual clutch transmission.

The Seltos comes with three drive modes: Normal, Eco, Sport. All-wheel drive with torque vectoring control and lock mode are available in higher trim levels.

2021 Kia Seltos Buyers can get the Seltos with all-wheel drive.Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

The SUV comes with a good list of standard and available equipment. Each model gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 10.25-inch infotainment touch screen with satellite radio, navigation, and telematics is available, as is an 8-speaker Bose audio system, wireless charging system, three USB ports, and multi-Bluetooth connectivity.

2021 Kia Seltos The vehicle is at least as nicely appointed as what you'll find in the Sportage.Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

Seltos boasts a standard 3.5-inch driver information display. In the top trim driver's get a 7-inch display. On Seltos S, EX, and SX models there is leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and sliding front console cover. The top trim level has Bose speakers with six color schemes in the same way that are in the Soul. EX and SX models also have a rear air vent and USB charging port.

The rear seat features two-step recline.

Kia has given the SUV a long list of available safety technology including blind spot monitoring, Safe Exit Assist, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning, and lane keeping assist.

2021 Kia Seltos A 10.25-inch infotainment touch screen is available.Photo courtesy of Kia Motors

The 2021 Kia Seltos will be available in LX, EX, S 2.0L, S 1.6L, and SX trim levels. Full pricing details will be available closer to the model's on-sale date but Kia has revealed that LX with all-wheel drive will start below $22,000 and the S with front-wheel drive will have a similar price point.

Kia will sell the SUV in the U.S. starting in early 2020.

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Acquisition

7-Eleven's parent company buys Speedway gas stations in $21 billion all-cash deal

Speedway gas stations will be added to the Seven & i Holdings company portfolio.

Photo courtesy of 7-Eleven

Does this mean slurpies in more places? The owner of 7-Eleven, Seven & i Holdings, has purchased the Speedway chain of gas stations from Marathon Petroleum for $21 billion. The sale is one of the biggest deals that has gone down since the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the economic fortunes of businesses worldwide.

The all-cash deal joins the two convenience store brands with other Seven & i Holdings properties, primarily based in the grocery sector. The company is the largest convenience store chain in Japan, owning 21,000 stores in the Asian country. They also own 9,800 stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Speedway gas station The acquisition adds 4,000 Speedway stores fo the company’s portfolio.Photo courtesy of Speedway

By picking up the Speedway chain of stores, Seven & i Holdings expands their footprint to include an additional 4,000 stores, giving the company a presence in 47 of the top 50 most populated areas in the U.S., the company said in a press release announcing the deal.

7-Eleven President and CEO Joe DePinto explained that the deal will allow the company to diversify its holdings in key regions of the country, "particularly in the Midwest and East Coast."

In Japan, convenience stores are located apart from gas stations. This is also true of many communities in the Eastern U.S. However, in the Midwest and beyond, convenience stores are most often associated with a gas station.

As part of the deal, Marathon will provide 7.7 billion gallons of petroleum a year for 15 years to Seven & i Holdings. Marathon has been struggling in the wake of low gas prices, announcing last week that it will not restart production at refineries in New Mexico and California that had been idled since April.

The two companies had been negotiating the sale for months, struggling to come to an agreement over the price.

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Hypercars

Buying this 870-horsepower Lamborghini hypercar gets you exclusive track access

The Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 is a new, track-only model.

Photo courtesy of Lamborghini

The Lamborghini Essenza SCV12 is a track-only hypercar that is designed to be the epitome of Lamborghini performance. The Italian automaker will construct just 40 of the limited edition models, each of which can trace its lineage back to the Miura Jota and Diablo GTR.

The car was designed by Lamborghini Centro Stile and combines the most powerful V12 naturally aspirated engine ever developed by Lamborghini, with aerodynamics inspired by racing prototypes and new technical solutions.

"Essenza SCV12 represents the purest track driving experience that our brand can offer, an engineering feat that highlights the inextricable link between our cars and the asphalt of the track," said Stefano Domenicali, CEO and Chairman of Automobili Lamborghini. "Lamborghini is a brand constantly looking to the future and searching for new challenges, but we never forget our roots and who we are: Essenza SCV12 is the perfect combination of our unconventional spirit as a super sports car manufacturer and our true passion for motorsport."

Lamborghini Essenza SCV12

Lamborghini Essenza SCV12

Photo courtesy of Lamborghini

The V12 engine can produce 830 horsepower while working in tandem with the car's exhaust pipes, which were designed by Capistro to reduce the back pressure. The engine of the rear-wheel drive car is paired with a new X-trac sequential six-speed gearbox that has bee desired to be a structural element within the chassis.

The car has an especially good power-to-weight ratio of 1.66 kg/hp, which is thanks in large part to the car's new-generation carbon fiber monocoque chassis without internal rollcage.

It has higher downforce levels than a GT3 car - 1,200 kg at 250 km/h. That is in large part due to the central rib, which separates hot airflow from the radiator, and a front splitter and two lateral airflow elements that allow cool air to flow. The aerodynamic package is completed by the large adjustable double-profile rear wing.

Lamborghini has given the model magnesium rims- 19-inch in the front and 20-inch in the back. Brembo disc brakes and calipers give the model proper stopping power.

The Essenza SCV12 is the first GT car developed to adhere to FIA prototype safety rules.

Lamborghini designers were influenced by the look of the F1 single-seater steering wheels to develop the SCV12's wheel.

Purchasing the model gets buyers access to special programs to drive their hypercar on the most prestigious race tracks in the world. This includes storage at the new hangar built in Sant'Agata Bolognese for the Essenza SCV12 club. Each car will have a personalized garage and dedicated services, including webcams to allow customers to monitor their cars 24/7 using an app. The facility also houses the Lamborghini Squadra Corse Drivers Lab by Tecnobody to offer athletic training programs similar to those followed by the official Lamborghini racing drivers.

The track calendar will start in 2021 events at numerous FIA Grade 1 homologated circuits. Assistance will be provided by the Squadra Corse technical staff with the support of Emanuele Pirro, five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Marco Mapelli, Lamborghini Squadra Corse Factory Driver.

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