Stepping up its transformation game to drive eco-friendly mobility solutions in the India Market, Kia India is getting ready to enter a new segment by early 2022.
“In continuation of our aim to drive innovation for future mobility and offer the latest products for the Indian market, Kia India is all set to enter a new segment early next year,” Hardeep Singh Brar, Vice President & Head of Sales and Marketing, Kia India, said at the company’s virtual brand relaunch event on Tuesday.
With this entry, it has been speculated that the company will join the league of 7-seater SUVs to compete with the likes of Tata Safari and MG Hector Plus and the upcoming Hyundai Alcazar.
He further said that the company will also launch the refreshed version of Kia Seltos and Sonet by early next month. Both compact SUV Seltos and the subcompact crossover SUV Sonet are updated for the Indian market under the newly stylized logo and will be unveiled to the market in the first week of May, 2021.
Since its inception in 2019, Kia India has invested USD 2 billion in its manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh and has achieved sales of over 2.5 lakh in India in less than 22 months.
“A Kia is bought in India every 2 minute, every third car sold in the segment is Seltos and every 6th compact SUV sold in the country is a Kia Sonet,” Brar added.
Moreover, the company is also targeting to expand its dealership network to 360 touch points covering 218 cities including tier-3 and select tier-4 towns by the end of this year.
In order to reinforce its commitment to the Indian market, the Korean carmaker has changed its corporate name from ‘Kia Motors India’ to ‘Kia India’.
Kookhyun Shim, managing director and chief executive officer, Kia India, said, “This is a proud and historic moment for us as India becomes the first country to transition to the new brand identity after our headquarters in South Korea. Our decision to increase the production capacity stems from our deep customer understanding where a faster delivery of our products can enhance their buying experience tremendously. We are confident that this transformation will accelerate our growth by not only strengthening our premium positioning in the market but also making us one of the most aspirational brands for consumers.”
