Kia India has rolled out its 3,00,000th car, the Seltos, from its production facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh
Kia India commenced its sales operation back in 2019 with the Seltos mid-size SUV. With the ageing Hyundai Creta, Kia took advantage of the high popularity the segment had and reaped benefits. It stormed to the top of the monthly sales charts and made a strong impact until the arrival of the second-gen Creta early last year.
Following the impressive debut, the South Korean auto major stepped into the premium MPV space with the Carnival before exploring the compact SUV segment with the Sonet. Just as the Seltos, the Sonet proved to be another difference maker for Kia and the duo helped in the company recording fourth or fifth best monthly sales numbers on a consistent basis.
Fast forward two years, Kia has achieved three lakh sales milestone locally – the fastest OEM to do so in a short period of time. Until last month, Kia garnered a cumulative domestic tally of more than 2.98 units with the major contribution from Seltos. Besides the mid-size SUV’s 66.8 per cent contribution, the Sonet endured 30.8 per cent and the Carnival with 2.4 per cent (7,291 units).
It must be noted that Kia got past the one lakh sales mark within a year of its commencing its sales operations and the two lakh sales came in just 18 months despite the testing times due to the health crisis. The Seltos was the 3,00,000th car rolled out of the brand’s production facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh that employs more than 13,000 people.
Kia Motors India was rebranded to Kia India earlier this year while the new corporate logo was also introduced to the updated 2021 MY Sonet and Seltos. The company topped FADA India’s 2021 Dealer Satisfaction Study as well and it has plans to expand its overall footprint to 360 touchpoints with 90 per cent coverage across the country.
Next up, Kia India is expected to launch an MPV codenamed KY and it could be launched early next year. It could be positioned between Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Innova Crysta in the premium space upon arrival.