In October 2021, Kia sold 16,331 vehicles in the Indian market, which translates to a YoY sales decline of 22.31 per cent
Kia India has revealed that in October 2021, it achieved a domestic sales figure of 16,331 units. This is a significant sales drop of around 22.31 per cent on a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis, with a total of 21,021 vehicles sold during last year’s October. However, the manufacturer saw a Month-on-Month (MoM) sales growth of 13.09 per cent (14,441 units sold in September 2021).
Interestingly, Kia’s market share remains constant at 6.3 per cent In October 2021, the same as October 2020. The biggest chunk of the company’s sales was roped in by its SUVs – Seltos and Sonet. The Seltos was Kia’s maiden offering in the Indian market, launched back in 2019. It quickly gained a lot of popularity among buyers, and it is one of the highest-selling midsize SUVs in our market.
The Sonet was introduced a little over a year ago in India, and thanks to its aggressive pricing, multiple powertrain options, and a long list of features, it also became a hot-selling SUV. Kia has another vehicle in its range in our market – Carnival – which was introduced towards the beginning of 2020. Due to its premium price tag, Kia Carnival generates low sales volumes, especially compared to the brand’s SUVs.
Kia is planning to expand its lineup in India further, and a new MPV is currently in the pipeline. Codenamed ‘KY’, this upcoming MPV has been spied a few times undergoing road testing on our streets. As per speculations, this new MPV shares its architecture with the Seltos, albeit with some changes to accommodate three rows of seats instead of two.
The KY will likely be available with a choice between a 1.5L NA petrol engine and a 1.5L turbo-diesel engine. Manual and automatic transmission choices will be offered here. Kia is expected to launch this forthcoming MPV in India early next year.
Apart from that, Kia will also introduce the e-Niro and EV6 in our market, likely around 2023 to 2024. Hyundai is currently working on a mass-market, affordable EV for India, and Kia will likely use that architecture to launch its own low-cost EV here.