Vehicle maker Kia India expects its sales to grow 8-10 percent year-on-year in 2023 due to better supply of chips and introduction of upgraded Seltos in the market. A senior official of the company gave this information. The South Korean car maker sold a total of 3.4 lakh units in the domestic and foreign markets in 2022. The company sells Carens, Sonet and Seltos models in the Indian market.
8-10 percent growth is expected
Kia India head Hardeep S Brar told PTI-Bhasha, “Last year our domestic sales were around 2.54 units while total sales were around 3.34 lakh units including exports of around 80 thousand units. So this year we expect 8-10 per cent growth in sales.” He added that the company outperformed the overall passenger industry growth in the first half and is expected to do the same in the second half. Brar said, “In the first half, the industry grew at a rate of 10 percent. We grew at 12 percent. So like every year we are at the forefront of the industry.” He expressed hope that the entire industry size 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 started its trial production in January 2019 and began mass production of its first product, the Kia Seltos, 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 manufactures a number of models specifically designed for the Indian market, such as the SP2i version of the Seltos and the sub-4 meter SUV Sonnet. In less than four years, the company announced in May 2023 that it had achieved the milestone of selling 700,000 vehicles.
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Year Production Domestic Sales Exports
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2019 57,719 44,918 755
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2020 177,982 139,714 29,358
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2021 227,844 182,655 53,247
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2022 336,619 254,556 82,063
Established in 1944
Korean automaker Kia has a long history of making cars globally for sale in Europe and other countries. It started as a bicycle manufacturer in 1944 and started making 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 Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh in 2017 to manufacture cars in India. It has been in India for only four years but already, it is a mainstream car manufacturer with several models on sale The Seltos was Kia’s first car in 2019, based on the SP2 SUV concept, which was unveiled globally in India at the Auto Expo 2018. It was launched in the attractive compact SUV segment, allowing Kia to price the car well in India. Since then, the automaker has launched vehicles at multiple price points – a full-size people carrier, more affordable alternatives to Seltos, the smaller Sonet SUV and a smaller MPV.
Kia’s parent company is Hyundai
Kia’s electric vehicles (EVs) are currently available in the global market, but they have yet to reach us here. Kia’s parent company Hyundai has announced plans to bring its global electric vehicle platform to our shores. As the Indian EV market accelerates 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 on EVs
When the automaker launched its first offering, it had the most advanced safety and infotainment features in the segment. But since then, other automakers have introduced mild hybrid and fully electric powertrains and active safety and driver assistance technologies to the segment. Considering that the Korean brand offers vehicles with these features in other countries, this will not be difficult to do.