L J Ravi 
Kia India becomes the fastest carmaker in the country to surpass 300,000 sales
Achieves the milestone in less than two years, since the start of Kia’s sales operation in India.
The brand achieved the first one lakh sales milestone in 1 year and clocked the latter two lakhs in the same amount of time.
Seltos makes for 66% of the total sales for the brand
New Delhi, August 05, 2021: Kia India, the fastest-growing PV maker of the country, became the quickest brand to achieve the 300,000 sales milestone in the domestic automotive market. The brand crossed the first one lakh milestone in July 2020, the next one lakh in January 2021, and the third lakh in August 2021. Notably, Kia India achieved the first one lakh unit sales in 1 year and clocked the latter two lakhs in the same amount of time, signifying the high adoption rate of Kia cars amongst Indian customers.
The flagship product of Kia India, Seltos, remains the highest contributor with 66% share while Sonet added 32% to the sales. The brand sold 7310 units of its premium offering, the Carnival.
Commenting on the achievement, Mr Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kia India said, “300,000 sales for Kia India is a strong affirmation of customer acceptance and their confidence in the brand and its offerings. Despite testing times, the Indian market has shown a strong rebound in demand. Our extensive sales, after-sales service network, and pre-emptive measures like an end-to-end digitised sales process helped us minimize business risks and perform against all odds. Over the last years, we have carefully identified the unmet needs of Indian customers and catered to them with premium, well-designed products equipped with segment-first features. We are confident that our best in class products and ownership experience will continue to exhilarate our customers. The trust and love of our customers keeps the entire Kia India team motivated and I am sure that the next one lakh milestone will be achieved much faster.”
Since its entry in India, Kia focussed on narrowing the gap between affordability and luxury, with a wide choice of variants per model at an optimal price range, giving the brand vast market acceptance. With time, Kia has developed a robust network in the country. The brand aims to expand its footprint from the current 300 to 360 touchpoints, covering 90% of the Indian market, including Tier III, IV, and upcountry markets. In line with the recent brand transformation, Kia has announced a number of industry-first customer-centric initiatives targeting unmet demands of new-age, discerning consumers. Remarkably, the brand has led the digitisation wave of the Indian automotive industry, offering its customers the end-to-end digital sales process since the start of its sales operation. The brand has successfully created a Phygital framework wherein digital channels complement the efforts of its dealer partners.
The Seltos becomes the 300,000th car to roll out from Kia’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Anantapur, which employs over 13,000 employees. Over the last two years, Kia has invested over USD 2 bn., inclusive of the vendor park created near the plant, which is a testament to the company’s commitment to the Indian market. The Anantapur plant is Kia’s most advanced production facility, equipped with over 450 robots & Artificial Intelligence and environment-conscious techniques such as 100% water recycling.
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Kia India – about us
In April 2017, Kia India signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, India, to build a new manufacturing facility at Anantapur District. Kia commenced mass production in August 2019 and has an annual production capacity of approximately 300,000 units. In April 2021, Kia India reimagined itself in line with its new brand identity, “Movement that Inspires” aimed at offering customers meaningful experiences backed by innovative products and services. Under the new brand identity, Kia has set out to find ways to achieve new benchmarks and inspire consumers to be more and do more. Till date, Kia India has launched three vehicles for Indian market – the Seltos, the Carnival and the Sonet; and has become the youngest brand to be the 4th largest automaker in India with class-leading product offering, service quality and reliability. Kia India became the fastest automaker to reach the historic milestone of registering 3 lakh unit sales in less than two years of its operation. Kia is leading the connected car evolution in India and with over 1.4 lakh cars on Indian roads, it is the connected SUV Leader. The brand has a widespread network of 300 customer touchpoints and is focused on strengthening its footprints across the country.
