Kia Venga
Kia Vengakianewscenter.com

A set of images of Kia Venga hatchback has hit the web, not long after the news of Kia Motors — a subsidiary of Korean auto giant Hyundai gearing up to enter the Indian market — started doing the rounds. The Venga has been snapped while undergoing test runs on the outskirts of Chennai.

Snapped by OverDrive, the Venga spotted undergoing testing was a left-hand drive version. Although it is too early to say anything about the possibilities of the launch of the Venga in the domestic market, the news of the Venga being tested on the Indian roads could be music to the ears of auto enthusiasts.

In the international market, the Venga is offered with four engine options — two petrol and two diesel. While 1.4-liter MPi and 1.6-liter MPi engines are offered in the petrol variants, the diesel variants come with 1.4- and 1.6-liter diesel engines. The transmission is taken care of by 5- and 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmissions. According to the original publisher of the spy shots, the India-bound Venga could get only the 1.4 litre engine versions in both petrol and diesel.

An earlier report of the Times of India said that Kia is currently evaluating the possible locations to set up a manufacturing plant of the company in India. Kia Motors is looking at the possibility of having a plant in Andhra Pradesh because of its proximity to Hyundai Motor India's manufacturing capacity located at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, reported the Economic Times. It is also said that the plant of Kia would also be utilised by Hyundai for the production of some of its models.

The company is said to have carried out several studies on the feasibility in the Indian market and it is estimated to take nearly two-years for Kia to come to the Indian market. The Kia entry in India is likely to happen in 2019.