In spite of being one of the newest carmakers in the country, the positive response to Kia Seltos has helped Kia India consistently make it to the 3rd spot on the monthly sales charts
Kia India has once again made it to the third spot of the monthly sales charts in March 2020. While it has just two cars in its product portfolio, it has managed to outclass many older rivals like Honda and Toyota in spite of considerably premium positioning of both its models. While much of this success can be attributed to the strong demand for the Seltos, even the Carnival, which is a pretty expensive MPV, has been off to a decent start.
However, in spite making it to the third spot, just behind Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, Kia has suffered a huge decline in its sales on MoM basis. In February, the company had sold 15,644 units. However, sales dropped to just 8,583 units in March. This corresponds to a drop of 45.14%. Out of the total cars sold, 7,466 were of Seltos and 1,117 units were of Carnival.
Last month, even Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have experienced a huge setback in their respective sales numbers. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the largest-selling car maker in India, sold a total of 76,240 cars last month. This is a huge 47% drop from 1,45,031 units sold in March 2019
On the other hand, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, which has been the second most popular carmaker in the country for several years now, sold a total of 26,300 units in March 2020. In comparison, the carmaker had sold 44,350 cars in March 2019. This is a 41% drop on YoY basis.
Commenting on the drop in in sales, Kia India has said, “Owing to the global pandemic and countrywide lockdown, Kia Motors India had stopped its wholesale billings on March 16th 2020, avoiding unnecessary unsold inventory at its dealerships. Counting on the booking numbers of Kia cars, the company is expecting a positive sentiment in buyers for Seltos and Carnival after the lockdown period.”