Vehicle maker Kia India is expecting 8-10 per cent year-on-year growth in its sales in 2023 due to better supply of chips and introduction of upgraded Seltos in the market. A senior company official gave this information. The South Korean car manufacturer had sold a total of 3.4 lakh units in 2022 in domestic and foreign markets. The company sells the Carens, Sonet and Seltos models in the Indian market.
8-10 percent growth expected
Kia India chief Hardeep S Brar told PTI-language, “Last year our domestic sales were around 2.54 units while total sales including exports of around 80 thousand units stood at 3.34 lakh units. So this year we are expecting 8-10 per cent growth in sales.” He added that the company has outpaced the growth of the overall passenger industry in the first half and is expected to do the same in the second half. Brar said, “The industry grew at 10 per cent for the first half. We have grown at the rate of 12 percent. So, like every year, we remain at the forefront of the industry.” He expressed hope that the size of the entire industry is expected to be around 40 lakh units this year.
KIAIndia was established in 2017
Kia India Private Limited is a subsidiary of Kia for its operations in India. The company was incorporated on 19 May 2017 after announcing the construction of a new 536-acre manufacturing facility in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. The plant began its trial production in January 2019 and mass production of its first product, the Kia Seltos, began on 31 July 2019. The US$2 billion manufacturing plant is capable of producing 300,000 vehicles annually.
KIA sold 7 million cars in 6 years
Kia India produces several models that were developed specifically for the Indian market, namely the SP2i version of the Seltos and the sub-4 meter SUV Sonet. In less than four years of operations, in May 2023 the company announced that it had achieved the milestone of 700,000 vehicle sales.
Year Production Domestic Sales Export
2019 57,719 44,918 755
2020 177,982 139,714 29,358
2021 227,844 182,655 53,247
2022 336,619 254,556 82,063
was established in 1944
Korean automaker Kia has a long history of making global cars for sale in Europe and other countries. It started as a bicycle manufacturer in 1944 and began producing cars in the 1980s. Since then, it has become a globally renowned car manufacturer under its parent company Hyundai. Kia Motors set up a manufacturing facility in 2017 at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh to make cars in India. It has been in India for barely four years but already, it is a mainstream carmaker with several models on sale. The Seltos was the first car from Kia in 2019 to be based on the SP2 SUV concept, which was globally unveiled in India at the Auto Expo 2018. It was launched in the attractive compact SUV segment, which allowed Kia to price the car well in India. Since then, the automaker has introduced vehicles at multiple price points – a full-size people carrier, a more affordable alternative to the Seltos, the smaller Sonet SUV and a smaller MPV.
Kia’s parent company Hyundai
Kia’s Electric Vehicles (EVs) are currently available in the global market, but they are yet to reach us here. Kia’s parent company Hyundai has announced plans to bring its global electric car platform to our shores. As the Indian EV market gathers momentum and our charging infrastructure improves, current and future Kia electric models are likely to be launched in India, such as the Kia EV6.
KIA Focus in EV
When the carmaker launched its first offering, it had the most state-of-the-art safety and infotainment features in the segment. But since then, other carmakers have introduced mild hybrid and fully electric powertrains, and active safety and driver assistance technologies in the segment. Considering that the Korean brand offers vehicles with these features in other countries, it would not be difficult to do so.
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