The Kia Seltos was introduced for the 2021 model year slotting above the Kia Soul to satisfy America's growing appetite for subcompact crossovers. Currently, the Kia Seltos is available with either a 1.6-liter turbo generating 175 hp and 195 lb-ft of torque or a 2.0-liter inline-four producing 146 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque.

However, leaked documents obtained by Indian Autos Blog confirm that the Kia Seltos lineup will be expanded with a fully electric version to boost sales. Hyundai already offers a fully electric version of the Kona, so it's not surprising that the Seltos is also getting the EV treatment.

Essentially, this will be a baby brother to the Kia Niro EV. There is a catch, however - the documents suggest the Kia Seltos EV is currently only planned for China. China is making a big push for EVs, prompting manufacturers to sell versions of current models exclusively for the Chinese market.

According to the leaked documents, Kia plans to sell the Seltos EV in China in the second half of 2020. There's still a chance the Kia Seltos EV could eventually arrive in the US, but we'll probably have to wait until next year at the earliest. This isn't the first time a fully electric version of the Kia Seltos has been sold in China, either.

The Kia Seltos is badged as the Kia KX3 in China, which was offered as an EV for the last-generation model with a 45.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack boasting a range of around 300 km. An electric motor also provided 109 hp and 210 lb-ft of torque.

The next-generation KX3 is expected to be offered in two variants, including a standard trim and a long-range version. Chances are the Kia Seltos EV will use the same setup as the Hyundai Kona EV, which produces 201 horsepower and 291 lb-ft of torque from a single electric motor and delivers 258 miles of range on a single charge.