Kia registered 16,750 unit sales in the month of August 2021 as against 10,853 units with 54 per cent YoY volume increase
Kia India commenced its local domestic operations midway through 2019 with the Seltos and the mid-size SUV has long stayed as the consistent seller for the brand. Capitalising on the latest trend of buyers wanting SUVs, the South Korean auto major entered the compact space with the Sonet last year and it has proven to be another volume grabber.
In the month of August 2021, Kia recorded 16,750 unit sales as against 10,853 units during the same period last year with a positive YoY growth of 54 per cent. This when compared to the previous month of July 2021, the company saw a sales increase of 12 per cent. Kia finished fourth in the overall manufacturers’ table behind Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors.
Last month, Kia garnered a 6.8 per cent market share as against 4.8 per cent in August 2020 with an increase of 2 per cent. The company has introduced the top-spec Seltos X-Line with a new paint scheme and visual enhancements to commemorate two years since the brand debuted in the domestic scene. The Seltos is currently priced between Rs. 9.95 lakh for the base HTE 1.5 and it goes all the way up to Rs. 18.10 lakh for the range-topping X-Line 1.5 diesel AT (ex-showroom).
The five-seater SUV is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, a 1.5-litre turbo diesel and a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine. The bigger gasoline unit generates a maximum power output of 115 PS and 144 Nm while the solo diesel pumps out 115 PS and 250 Nm. The turbo-petrol mill delivers 140 PS maximum power and 242 Nm of peak torque.
Transmission choices are a six-speed manual, a six-speed torque converter automatic, a CVT and a seven-speed DCT. The Sonet, on the other hand, costs Rs. 6.79 lakh for the entry-level trim and it goes up to Rs. 13.35 lakh for the high-end variant (ex-showroom). Just as the Seltos, it is powered by three engines: a 1.2-litre petrol, a 1.5-litre diesel and a 1.0-litre turbo petrol.
Kia will introduce a new vehicle into its portfolio in the early stages of 2022 and it is expected to be an MPV slotting between Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Toyota Innova Crysta.