Kia India Crosses 2.5 Lakh Exports Milestone, Seltos Being The Largest Contributor

The Korean automaker ships cars manufactured in India to South Africa, Chile, Paraguay, and various other countries

• Kia started operations at its Anantapur plant back in 2019, and over 2.5 lakh units have been exported in the last five years.

• The Kia Seltos contributed 59 percent to this export tally, while Sonet and Carens added 34 percent and 7 percent respectively.

• Kia ships its cars to over 100 international markets from India. 

• Kia plans to start local production of more models in India by the end of 2024, with a localised EV slated for 2025.

Since its debut in 2019, Kia India has become a household name for its mass-market yet premium offerings, much like its sibling brand, Hyundai. Most recently, it has achieved a milestone of exporting 2.5 lakh units from its domestic plant situated in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 60 percent of these exports are for the Kia Seltos compact SUV. 

Export Breakdown

Kia India exports vehicles to over 100 international markets from its Indian facility, including: South Africa, Chile, Paraguay and Latin America. The Anantapur plant, which rolled out its first vehicle five years ago, has now become one of the vital export hubs within the company’s global network. 

This plant started operations with the Seltos and has since started making two more models - the Sonet sub-4m SUV and the Carens MPV, accounting for 34 percent and 7 percent, respectively, of the total exports so far. For a small period of time, the Anantapur plant even facilitated the local assembly of the Kia Carnival, which has since been discontinued, but the next-generation of the premium MPV is set to launch later this year.

Kia India Lineup

Currently, Kia offers four products in the Indian market – Seltos, Sonet, Carens, and the fully-built imported electric EV6. 

Between its three combustion-engine models in India, Kia offers five engines across the lineup:

Kia is also the only mass-market brand in India to offer the choice of iMT or manual without clutch-pedal transmission. It is offered with the turbo-petrol and diesel engines only.

Meanwhile, the EV6 gets a 77.4 kWh battery pack which comes with both single rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and dual motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) setups.

Also Read: Kia Carens Facelift Spied Again, This Time With A 360-degree Camera

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Prices

The Kia India lineup covers various segments and thus various price points. Here’s the Indian price range for every locally-built and exported Kia model: 

Kia India's Future Plans

The Korean carmaker has a fair number of new models lined up for launch in India in the next couple of years, starting with the new-generation Carnival and its electric flagship, the EV9 SUV. We’re also expecting the introduction of a Kia micro-SUV (equivalent and rival to the Hyundai Exter and Tata Punch) as well as localised EVs like an electric Carens and an electric version of the Seltos as well.  

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