Kia has successfully achieved 3 lakh unit sales of its vehicles in India and at the same time, the brand has set a new record of achieving this milestone in a short time of just two years since its establishment. Interestingly, the Kia Seltos was the first car to go into production in the country and it has also become the 3,00,000th vehicle to celebrate the brand’s greatest achievement.
The Seltos represented 66 percent of the total car sales while the Sonet accounted for 32 percent. On the other hand, Kia managed to sell 7,310 units of its premium MPV, the Carnival. Besides that, the brand has 300 dealerships in India and it intends to expand its network to more cities, including Tier-II and III cities.
The South Korean carmaker signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government of Andhra Pradesh to construct a manufacturing plant in Anantapur in 2017 and the production of the first car ever commenced in August 2019. This manufacturing plant of the brand is a home for 13,000 employees and about 450 robots which utilise cutting edge technology such as artificial intelligence for production. To safeguard the environment, Kia also has water treatment facilities.
Meanwhile, Kia plans to bring the all-new next-generation Carnival to India but it has not announced an official date yet. Moreover, the automaker is also developing a seven-seat SUV to take on the MG Hector+, Tata Safari, upcoming XUV700 and its cousin, the Hyundai Alcazar. This upcoming brand-new SUV is likely to be based on the Alcazar and is expected to have similar or more features. It could be launched in India at the beginning of 2022.
