The Kia Seltos turned seven years old today. Launched on August 22, 2019, Kia India’s first locally manufactured vehicle continues to spearhead the Korean car and SUV manufacturer’s growth story in India. Between August 2019 and July 2026, the Seltos has clocked total sales of 828,684 units, comprising 667,097 units in India and 161,587 units as exports.
This gives the Seltos a 43% share of the 1.90 million made-in-India utility vehicles which have rolled out of Kia India’s Anantapur manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh, substantially ahead of the Sonet compact SUV (683,679 units, 36% share) and the Carens MPV (347,590 units, 18% share).
Robust demand for second-gen Seltos launched in January 2026 has seen it sell 75,346 units in the past 7 months. And with 43,348 units in April-July 2026, FY2027 will see the Seltos hit a new high.
Soon after launch seven years ago, the Kia Seltos shook up the midsize SUV market with 16 variants at multiple price-points, more features, more space, more comfort and more luxury, and helped make a relatively unknown Korean brand a household name in India. In its very first month of sale (August 2019: 6,236 units), the Seltos debuted in the India Top 5 UVs list and also outsold the Seltos sold in Korea by 127 units. Not surprisingly, Seltos wholesales in the last eight months of FY2020 were 81,717 units and the SUV helped Kia cement itself in the Top 5 passenger vehicle OEMs.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought the world and the market to its knees, the Seltos maintained its sales momentum in both FY2021 (89,173 units) and FY2022 (95,929 units) and then crossed the 100,000 milestone for the first time in FY2023 (100,132 units).
However, increased midsize SUV competition after FY2023 slowed down sales. FY2024’s 100,423 units were just 291 units more than in FY2023. In FY2025, Seltos sales fell by 27% to 72,618 units albeit demand rose by 5% in FY2026 (83,747 units), helped by strong growth in Q4 (January-March 2026) with the launch of the second-generation Seltos.
Launched in January 2026, the new Seltos has sold 75,346 units till July, up 75% YoY, and has a 39% share of the 191,949 vehicles Kia India has dispatched to its showrooms this year.
Second-Gen Seltos: Bigger and Better, Fourth-Ranked Midsize SUV in CY2026
The second-gen Seltos, launched on January 2, 2026, has revived numbers for Kia India’s sole midsize SUV, which is soon to be joined by the Sorento, Kia’s first hybrid SUV with AWD for India. Seltos sales rose 64% YoY to 10,639 units in the opening month of CY2026, with the Seltos achieving five-figure sales after a gap of 25 months (November 2023: 11,684 units).
Since then, barring June 2026 (9,654 units), the Seltos has comfortably crossed 10,000 units: January (10,639 units), February (10,308 units), March (11,041 units), April (10,566 units), May (10,597 units) and July (12,541 units). The Seltos’ highest monthly sales since launch though were in January 2020 (15,000 units).
In the first seven months of CY2026, the Seltos has registered sales of 75,346 units, marking handsome 75% YoY growth (January-July 2025: 42,893 units) and has a 39% share of the 191,949 UVs that Kia India has sold in the year to date.
The MY2026 Kia Seltos, which has won a 5-star Bharat NCAP crash test rating, is priced from Rs 11 lakh through to Rs 21.82 lakh (ex-showroom). It has three engine options on offer: a 115hp, 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, a 116hp, 1.5-litre turbo-diesel, and a 160hp, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol, all available with manual and automatic gearboxes. Fuel efficiency is a claimed 19.1kpl for the diesel AT and up to 17.9kpl for the petrol engines.
The Kia Seltos interior features premium leatherette upholstery, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and digital driver’s display, ambient lighting, ventilated front seats, panoramic sunroof, and dual-zone climate control.
Kia India, which strategically launched the new model at a time when the SUV market in India is witnessing growing demand for midsize SUVs, is benefiting from the replacement demand from previous first-gen Seltos owners, attracting buyers from even a segment above (executive SUVs) as well as those keen on upgrading from compact SUVs.
The boldly styled, spacious MY2026 Seltos, which offers improved ride comfort and a wide choice of powertrains along with sensible pricing, is a key contributor to the strong growth of the midsize SUV market. In CY2026 YTD, the Seltos, which battles in a segment which has over 20 models, including eight EVs and some hybrids, is currently ranked fourth with wholesales of 75,346 units in the January-July period. This segment is led by the Hyundai Creta (109,479 units), Mahindra Scorpio (105,384 units) and the Maruti Victoris (85,246 units) after the first seven months of this year.
With the second-gen Seltos soon to be joined by the Sorento, Kia India’s first hybrid SUV as well as 3-row ICE midsize SUV, expect the company to register around 340,000-250,000 sales in CY2026.
Kia India to Surpass 300,000 Annual Sales for the First Time in CY2026
In CY2026, Kia has targeted global sales of 3.35 million vehicles worldwide including 2.77 million vehicles outside of Korea and 565,000 units in Korea. In the first seven months of this year, Kia India has sold 191,949 units which is a 17% YoY increase (January-July 2025: 164,284 units) and already 68% of its highest annual sales of 280,286 units in CY2025.
With the Seltos firing on all cylinders and the new ICE-powered flagship Sorento three-row midsize SUV to be launched on September 4, Kia India is well set to surpass the 300,000 domestic market milestone in annual sales for the first time. In fact, it could even close in on the 350,000 mark. Stay tuned in as we bring you in the latest number-crunching analyses.
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