Hyundai Venue Rival Could Be Kia's Entry-level Car In India

The carmaker plans to have five models in its India lineup within two years of entering the country, but won't launch any Swift or Dzire rival soon

• Kia will enter Indian market with SP2i, a Creta rival.

• It will follow it up with four more launches in the next two years.

• Kia’s Venue rival likely to be launched in India in 2020.

• The carmaker will have a presence in even tier 3 and tier 4 cities, when the SP2i is launched.

South Korean carmaker Kia will begin its India innings with the SP2i compact SUV, which is based on the SP Concept shown at the 2018 Auto Expo. It was recently showcased in near-production form overseas as the SP Signature concept. After the SP2i’s India launch, which is slated to happen in September 2019, Kia is looking to add a new product to its lineup every six months.

While Kia is yet to formally announce its next offering for India, CarDekho has learnt from reliable sources that the brand is likely to launch a sub-compact SUV in 2020. This Kia sub-4m SUV will remain the carmaker’s entry-level model for some time, at least until its first five cars arrive in India by 2022.

Sources in the know tell CarDekho that Kia is not planning to offer a sub-Rs 7 lakh car in India at the moment, and that is where the prices of the sub-4m SUV are expected to start from. In fact, CSO and executive director of Kia Motors India, Yong S Kim himself confirmed to us that Kia doesn’t want to enter segments which have multiple established players competing for market share. An example of that would be the midsize hatchback space where Maruti Suzuki offers the Swift and Hyundai has the Grand i10. It’s worth noting, though, that Kia does offer its own version of the Grand i10 overseas.

Mr Yong S Kim, CSO and Executive Director of Kia Motors India with the Kia Sportage

Kia’s subcompact SUV will rival the Hyundai Venue and the rest of the sub-4m SUV brigade in India. It is likely to be launched in 2020 and should share its platform with the Hyundai Venue. But don’t expect it to be a badge-engineered version of the Venue. Kia would rather stick to its own design language and might offer a different set of equipment as well to separate the two in terms of buyer appeal.

Are you looking forward to Kia’s entry in India? Were you expecting it to offer a Santro or a Swift rival for India? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned to CarDekho for the latest news from Kia Motors.