KIA Cars

Brand Overview : One of the latest carmakers in India, Kia is a renowned and well-recognised car brand from South Korea. Owned by another South Korean car brand Hyundai, Kia operates individually in the Indian car market by sharing platforms and powertrains with Hyundai, just like how it operates in other parts of the world. Kia debuted in India in 2019 and has been a steady performer as a brand solely focusing on SUVs, MPVs and halo electric offerings.
 
Key Milestones In India : The stone of the foundation of Kia India Private Limited was laid on 19th May 2017, when the Korean car maker announced setting up a new manufacturing facility in Anantapuram, Andhra Pradesh. At the 2018 Auto Expo, Kia made a grand debut in India by showcasing its SP2i concept car, which was announced as the base for its first car for the Indian car market.
In 2019, Kia launched the Seltos, its first-ever offering for the Indian car market, which was based on the SP2i concept car. The launch of Seltos was followed by Carnival, a premium luxury MPV, in the same year, and Sonet, a smaller compact SUV in the sub-four-metre SUV category, in 2020.
In 2021, Kia further expanded its value-oriented lineup with the Carens three-row MPV, which shares its platform with the Seltos SUV. Kia also brought its halo offering, the EV6 electric grand tourer, in 2022, which made it the first-ever CBU offering from Kia in India.
In 2023, Kia updated its lineup by launching the heavily facelifted versions of Seltos and Sonet SUVs. And in 2024, Kia announced the launch of an all-new Carnival and EV9 flagship electric SUV, both of which are brought to India via the CBU route.
 
Product Range And Segments : Since its announcement for the Indian car market in 2017, Kia has affirmed its stand on offering only SUVs and MPVs for the Indian car market. Kia currently has a well-diversified lineup of utility vehicles – both locally manufactured and fully-imported.
The models from Kia that are locally manufactured in India are the Sonet sub-four-metre SUV, Seltos compact SUV and Carens compact MPV. There are three CBU models that are sold through selected Kia dealerships – Carnival luxury MPV, EV6 electric grand tourer and EV9 flagship three-row electric SUV.
 
Unique Selling Propositions (USPs) : Kia debuted in the Indian car market when the sentiments and conceptions of people in car buying decisions were changing drastically. With its debut in the Seltos, which arrived with much fanfare by offering several new-age features and well-differentiated powertrain options, Kia spoilt the customers with choices and premium appeal, which were never seen before in the compact SUV segment.
Kia followed the same approach for its two other mass-market models, Sonet and Carens, which gave middle-class family-oriented car buyers choices of having much more premium and fancier cars at affordable prices. By offering many premium and segment-first features and best-in-class powertrain options in mass-market cars, Kia raised the expectations of the general car-buying public from affordable cars and SUVs.
 
Technology And Innovation : When the Seltos was launched in 2019, Kia became the first-ever carmaker to offer the option of a turbocharged petrol engine in a premium compact SUV space. Kia also provided the options of turbocharged petrol engines in Sonet and Carens as well, thereby offering the customers versatile powertrain options. These mass-market offerings from Kia are also instrumental in making premium features like ventilated seats, wireless chargers, in-car connectivity features, telematics, head-up display, sunroof and powered driver’s seat quite mainstream in affordable cars.
 
Sustainability And Future Goals : Globally, Kia is one of the pioneers of electric mobility in luxury segments, with the EV6 and EV9 from its global portfolio getting enough recognition among Indian audiences as well. By offering the EV6 and EV9 in India, Kia is positioning itself as a brand that is open to exploring new opportunities in the electric mobility segment. Kia, along with its parent brand Hyundai, is already developing a compact electric SUV and MPV on the same platform, which is rumoured to arrive in 2025.
 
Customer Perception And Competitors : The game-changing move of spoiling the Indian car audience with several premium modern features has worked for Kia in India, which has helped position Kia as a more premium and aspiration brand among its peers. The compact SUV offerings – Sonet and Seltos – are the best-equipped products when compared to their competitors from brands like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra, Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, Skoda, MG, Renault, Nissan and Citroen. The Carens is also considered a more premium offering when compared to compact MPVs from Maruti Suzuki, Toyota and Mahindra.
Meanwhile, all of its CBU offerings – Carnival, EV6 and EV9 – are in a league of their own, with no direct rivals. However, the EV6 is considered an alternative to the compact electric luxury SUVs from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volvo. Meanwhile, the EV9 is also a similarly-priced alternative to full-size electric luxury SUVs from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.
 
Closing Thoughts : By focusing on offering premium, desirable and feature-rich SUVs and MPVs, Kia is one of those carmakers in India which has managed to understand the latest trends and customer requirements from modern vehicles. With a continued approach of offering advanced halo electric vehicles, Kia is also paving a smooth path for its more affordable electric vehicles in the future.