Kia Seltos has contributed in majority to take the brand to newer heights as it becomes the fastest to achieve one lakh sales milestone
Kia Motors India debuted in the domestic market back in August 2019 with the Seltos. The mid-size SUV rose to fame in a very short span of time by beating the long-serving Hyundai Creta in the monthly sales charts. The Creta utterly dominated the segment for nearly four years but the arrival of Seltos did even out the competition as the latter stormed to supremacy.
For several months, the Seltos posted segment-leading sales volumes but the introduction of the second generation Hyundai Creta in March 2020 curated a level playing field. The new Creta has garnered more than 55,000 bookings and more than 20,000 units have been delivered in just four months and it even ended up as the best-selling car in the country a couple of months ago.
The rivalry between the Seltos and Creta will only strengthen in the coming months as the market is on a path to recovery. The five-seater recorded 15,000 units in January 2020 and it was its highest on a single month while registering more than 14,000 units twice and 12,854 units in October 2019. Between August 2019 and June 2020, the Seltos was responsible for Kia recording nearly 91,000 units.
The success story of the Seltos led to the South Korean manufacturer debuting the Carnival at the 2020 Auto Expo in three variants. Rivalling the top-spec variants of the Toyota Innova Crysta, the premium MPV has certainly carved a niche on its own and has posted nearly 3,400 units until June 2020.
The combined sales of Kia Seltos and Carnival stand at 94,107 units. While the sales numbers of July 2020 are eagerly awaited, posting less than 7,000 units might not be a problem for the brand. This would lead to Kia becoming the fastest manufacturer in India to achieve one lakh sales units. Despite the health crisis and market slowdown, it certainly is an amazing feat.
Next up, Kia is planning to unveil the Sonet compact SUV on August 7 and it will cater to higher volumes as it will compete against Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and others. It will have plenty of commonalities with the Hyundai Venue while boasting segment-first features including the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system.