Kia India races past 500,000 sales in less than 3 years

Kia India has driven past the 500,000-unit or half-a-million domestic sales milestone in just under three operational years, making it the quickest carmaker in India to achieve the feat.

The Korean carmaker had begun commercial operations in August 2019. Including exports, Kia India’s cumulative dispatches rise to 634,224 units from its Anantapur manufacturing facility.

As per Autocar Professional’s data analytics, from FY2020 through to end-June 2022, Kia India has sold a total of 489,121 units – the first few days of July would have seen the carmaker easily register the 10,879 units left to clock the 500,000 sales milestone.

According to the company, a strong performance by the Carens, which was launched on February 15, 2022, and has sold 30,953 units since then, helped secure the last 100,000 sales in barely four-and-ahalf months.

The Seltos, Kia’s first product in India, has sold 288,665 units till end-June 2022 and accounts for an overwhelming 59% of total sales. The Sonet compact SUV, with 158,339 units, has contributed 32% while the Carens (30,953 units) and Carnival MPV (11,164 units) make up the balance with 6.32% and 2.28% respectively.

With its strong performance in the Indian market, the company now contributes more than 6% to the global sales of Kia Corporation. In June 2022, when Kia India clocked its highest-ever monthly sales of 24,024 units, it contributed to global Kia sales was 9.28 percent. 

Commenting on the sales milestone, Myung-Sik Sohn – Chief Sales Officer, Kia India, said, “In the short three years in India, we have not only established ourselves as the trend leading and inspiring brand but have also led the adoption of new technologies. I would like to attribute Kia India’s success to everyone who is and has been a part of the ecosystem. Most importantly, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude towards our customers who have kept their trust in the brand even in adverse situations like the global supply chain issues.”

He added, “India remains a priority market for India, and hence our three out of five product offerings in the country are not only manufactured locally but exported to different global markets as well. Recently, we have brought to life our vision of becoming a 'Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider' brand in India with the launch of EV6 and installing the fastest passenger vehicle charger of 150kWh. Due to our focussed approach, we now contribute more than 6% to Kia's global sales. India is a country with immense potential, and we aim to continue contributing to the growth of manufacturing in India by continuously bringing in our world-class products and technologies."

Kia plans to grow its retail touchpoints from 339 to 400 across 225 cities by the end of CY2022.

(With inputs from Ajit Dalvi)