Kia India became the fastest to achieve 300,000 sales in the domestic automotive market.
The brand sold the first one lakh units by July 2020, within a year of starting operations in the country. The next lakh were sold by January 2021, and the third by August 2021, a notably high adoption rate amongst Indian customers.
Seltos, the brand’s flagship product, remains the highest sales contributor with a 66 per cent share while Sonet adds 32 per cent to the sales. The brand sold 7310 units of its premium offering, the Carnival.
Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kia India, said in a statement, “300,000 sales for Kia India is a strong affirmation of customer acceptance and their confidence in the brand and its offerings. Despite testing times, the Indian market has shown a strong rebound in demand. Our extensive sales, after-sales service network, and pre-emptive measures like an end-to-end digitised sales process, helped us minimize business risks and perform against all odds.”
“The trust and love of our customers keeps the entire Kia India team motivated and I am sure that the next one lakh milestone will be achieved much faster,” he added.
The brand aims to expand its footprint from the current 300 to 360 touchpoints, covering 90 per cent of the Indian market, including tier 3, 4, and upcountry markets. The brand has created a Phygital framework wherein digital channels complement the efforts of its dealer partners.
Kia’s manufacturing facility in Anantapur employs over 13,000 employees. Over the last two years, Kia has invested over $2 billion, inclusive of the vendor park near the plant. The Anantapur plant is equipped with over 450 robots and artificial intelligence and environment-conscious techniques including 100 per cent water recycling.