Problem Solved! Kia Cars Gets Much-Needed Wired-to-Wireless Adapter

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have quickly gone from ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must have’ for car buyers today. Nobody wants to deal with dangling cables anymore, especially when most cars in the market already offer wireless phone mirroring straight out of the box. 

Kia, though, has been a bit late to the party, has now launched a wired-to-wireless adapter, priced at Rs 4,344, which can be purchased and fitted at official dealerships and service centres. This adapter plugs into the USB port and unlocks wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Both owners of existing models and new buyers can benefit from this retrofit.

Which Kia Cars Can Benefit From It?

This adapter is designed for Kia models that only support wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, typically those with a 10.25-inch infotainment screen. Here’s a list of cars that stand to gain:

• Kia Seltos: The Seltos is one of the popular products of the Korean carmaker in the compact SUV category, and it rivals the likes of Hyundai Creta, Maruti Grand Vitara, which already offer a wireless setup by default. Prices of the Kia Seltos range between Rs 11.19 lakh and Rs 20.56 lakh (ex-showroom).

• Kia Sonet: The Sonet sits as a sub-compact SUV, which is also one of the most contested segments in India and most of the Sonet’s rivals, like Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Maruti Brezza, and Mahindra XUV3XO, already have wireless support. The Sonet is priced from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 15 lakh (ex-showroom).

• Kia Carens: The Carens only have a single Premium(O) variant out in the market, which also has a wired setup. The Carens MPV is priced at Rs 11.41 lakh (ex-showroom).

• Kia Carens Clavis: The Carens Clavis is Kia’s latest MPV nameplate available in both ICE and EV iterations, and surprisingly, it also does not carry wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. The ICE Carens Clavis rivals the Maruti Ertiga, Toyota Rumion and Maruti XL6, while the Carens Clavis EV doesn’t really have any direct rival. The Carens Clavis is priced from Rs 11.50 lakh while the EV version is priced from Rs 17.99 lakh (both prices, ex-showroom). 

ZigSays…

Better late than never! Kia’s wired-to-wireless adapter finally fixes a long-standing annoyance for many of its buyers. On one hand, yes, it would’ve been nicer if wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were built into these cars from day one, especially since Kia has never been shy about loading features. But on the other hand, this adapter gives both new and existing owners a simple and affordable way to join the wireless club. Yes, cheaper third-party dongles are cheaper, but they can be patchy, so if you hate plugging in your phone every single time, Rs 4,344 doesn’t sound like a bad deal at all.

Let us know what you think about it. Tell us in the comments.