The company is planning to launch four models in India initially including a Hyundai Creta rival based on the SP Concept showcased at Auto Expo
Kia officially announced its entry to Indian market at the 2018 Auto Expo. The company showcased its entire portfolio at the Auto Expo to gather response from the visitors. The Korean manufacturer confirmed that the SP Concept production model will be first product to launch in India and it will make its global debut here, the company is planning to export it to different countries also.
The company is planning to launch four models in India initially as one of them will be SP Concept based SUV, the other two models will be Sportage and Carnival as these were so popular among visitors at the expo. The fourth model is expected to be a micro SUV which could rival the upcoming Maruti Future S and Mahindra KUV 100.
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But the new SUV is still some time away from seeing day light as the first product from Kia’s new plant will roll out next year only and followed by Sportage and Carnival. The Micro SUV could be based on Kia Picanto platform as Hyundai is current working on this micro SUV but the company is not yet decided which platform to use as it might be i20 Active or Picanto platform.
But this model is currently confirmed as Korean model and they are not planning to introduce it in other countries. Kia could modify the product for Indian conditions and launch it as their all new fourth product. The Korean manufacturer want to be become top 3-4 car makers in India and with the focus on SUVs, this could become possible.
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Kia wants to introduce new products as they want the products to be localized heavily to price them competitively against competition but introducing Picanto or Rio hatchback which just got their mid-life facelift would be tough as new generation of these models will come in two years and they could develop these newer models with India in mind. Kia is expected to launch micro SUV in 2021 and by that time the new plant of Kia will be running in full capacity.