Kia Motors registers highest-ever domestic sales since India entry
By Sanjay Jadhav
October 2, 2020
Kia Motors India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation, registered its highest-ever domestic sales since its entry into the Indian market, with 18,676 units in September 2020. The biggest contributor in the company’s sales, Kia Sonet which made its market debut on September 18, 2020, dominated the compact SUV segment and recorded 9,266 unit sales in just 12 days. Kia’s first product for India, the Seltos, continues its strong performance, with 9,079 unit sales.
The made-in-India Kia Sonet has been a game-changer for the brand, as it has disrupted the highly competitive compact SUV segment by offering world-class quality, staggering choice of powertrain, trims and options, world-first and category-first features, path-breaking external and internal design, all at compelling value. The eager acceptance of the Sonet as well as the robust sales of the Seltos and Carnival indicates recovery of demand in the domestic market, even more so in anticipation of the festive season. With two dynamic products like Seltos and Sonet, Kia’s dominance in the UV category continues to grow.
On the successful run of Kia Motors in India, Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kia Motors India said “The Indian auto market is recovering at a better-than-expected pace and we are progressing as per our defined plan. Our third product and the first compact SUV in India, the Kia Sonet, has completely transformed its segment. The Sonet embodies Kia’s philosophy of ‘The Power to Surprise’ and that has shown resonance in the marketplace, as seen in the overwhelming response it has received from Indian customers. The sales of our other industry-leading products like Kia Seltos and Carnival are also encouraging, and with this strong product portfolio, we are confident of continuing the positive forward momentum.”
He further added, “We have been constantly elevating our production capacity to meet pre-COVID level of operations, and till now, have been successful in doing this too. This not only allows us to contribute to the revival of the Indian auto industry but also helps us bring notable growth for our business and bring down the waiting period of our vehicles.”
With a competitive product line-up, Kia Motors is confident of meeting rising demand from customers, with the festive season around the corner. Bookings for the Sonet continue to rise on a daily basis which stands over 35,000 till now while there is a strong, consistent demand for the Seltos as well. Apart from domestic sales, Kia is also aggressive towards making India as export hub with over 70 identified export markets, aiming to trade 50,000 units overseas within the next twelve months.
