Kia India has announced a partnership with HYBE India, the Indian arm of South Korean entertainment company HYBE, to serve as the exclusive automotive partner for the company's first large-scale talent auditions in the country. The initiative, launched on 28 April 2026, aims to identify participants for a new international girl group, marking one of the more prominent intersections of the automotive and entertainment industries in the Indian market.
The auditions will span 10 Indian cities — Guwahati, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Chandigarh — as well as five international locations targeting the Indian diaspora. Online registrations are open from 31 March to 31 July 2026 via HYBE India's audition website, making the search accessible to participants beyond the cities on the physical tour.
As part of the tie-up, Kia India will set up a feature called the "Kia Engagement Zone" inside the 2026 Kia Syros at HYBE India Pop-Up Parks in six cities. The in-car setup is designed to allow attendees to record and share performance videos, positioning the vehicle as a space for content creation rather than purely a product display. Pop-up events are scheduled in Guwahati (2 May), Mumbai (9 May), Pune (16 May), Hyderabad (23 May), Bengaluru (30–31 May), and New Delhi (13–14 June), with on-ground auditions to follow in each city.
Atul Sood, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Kia India, said the collaboration reflects the brand's understanding of how youth culture and aspirations are changing. "As a youthful and progressive brand, we are inherently aligned with the mindset of a new generation, and this partnership allows us to engage with a creative landscape where expression, identity, and global relevance are shaping aspirations," he said. Sood added that the tie-up reinforces the company's commitment to staying connected with the cultural interests of its consumers.
Sarthak Arora, Head of Business Development at HYBE India, described the partnership as rooted in a shared focus on emerging talent. "As youth aspirations continue to evolve with a growing emphasis on global perspectives, connectivity and a strong sense of self, this collaboration enables us to build a meaningful platform that helps further unlock India's potential on a global stage," he said.
HYBE India is a subsidiary of HYBE Co., the Seoul-based entertainment group behind acts such as BTS and the recently formed global girl group KATSEYE. The company operates under what it calls a "multi-home, multi-genre" strategy, through which it develops artists for both local and international markets. The approach involves localising HYBE's established model of talent discovery, training, and promotion — a pipeline that has previously produced acts with significant international reach. HYBE India, based in Mumbai, serves as the company's hub for talent discovery, content development, and IP expansion across the region.
For Kia India, the partnership is part of a broader effort to build cultural relevance with younger consumers beyond its core automotive business. The company has previously positioned itself as a mass-premium brand targeting new-age buyers, and this collaboration extends that approach into the entertainment space. By placing the 2026 Syros at the centre of a youth-oriented cultural event, Kia aims to associate the model with creativity and self-expression, themes that its marketing has emphasised since the brand relaunched under the "Movement that Inspires" identity in April 2021.
Kia India began manufacturing at its plant in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh in August 2019, following a memorandum of understanding signed with the state government in 2017. The facility has an installed annual production capacity of 300,000 units. The company currently sells nine models in the Indian market, including the Seltos, Sonet, Carens, EV6, EV9, and the 2026 Syros, and reports cumulative domestic sales of over 1.2 million vehicles, with more than 3.67 lakh units exported. Its sales and service network spans 866 touchpoints across 391 cities.