South Korea’s second largest automaker Kia Motors Corp. officially launched its new compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) Stonic on Thursday

Stonic is a compound word of “speedy” and “tonic,” the first tone of a major or minor scale in music, according to Kia Motors. Incorporating the meanings of its label into the new SUV’s design, Kia Sonic is carved to accentuate its economic efficiency and safety to appeal to young and first-time drivers, said the company.

Kia Stonic with a length of 4,140 millimeters (mm), width of 1,760 mm and height of 1,500 mm features sleeker and less bulky design than its sister Hyundai Motor’s first compact SUV Kona. It is equipped with vehicle safety management system including Straight Line Stability, Emergency Stop Signal and Hill Assist Control features for enhanced safety and convenience

The new compact SUV boasting combined fuel efficiency of 17.0 kilometers (10.6 miles) per liter is available only in 1.6 variable geometry turbocharger diesel engine.

Price is offered from 18.9 million won ($16,633) to 22.7 million won depending on trim choices, cheaper than other rivals including Kona and Ssangyong Tivoli’s diesel models.

By Woo Je-yoon

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