Seltos, Sonet and Carens Help Kia India Cross 2.50 Lakh Unit Exports Milestone

Kia India has crossed the cumulative export milestone of 2.50 lakh made-in-India vehicles. This comes nearly 5 years after Kia commenced operations in India. According to Kia, since 2019, it has shipped a total of 2,55,133 units to more than 100 international markets (including South Africa, Chile, Paraguay and Latin America, and others) from its Anantapur manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh. 

Since the all-electric EV6 is an import, Kia India currently exports the Sonet compact SUV, the Seltos mid-size SUV, and the Carens MPV. While the Carnival MPV is not on sale at the moment, the fourth-generation model is expected to arrive around the festive season in India and could range between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 35 lakh (ex-showroom). For those not aware, Kia discontinued this premium Carnival MPV in June 2023 and delisted it from its official website. The model was locally assembled in India. 

Also Read: Kia Carnival Facelift Spied Completely Undisguised Ahead of Upcoming India Launch

Kia Seltos: Major Contributor to Exports Success

Of the vehicles exported, the Kia Seltos emerged as the biggest contributor with a 59 per cent share. Kia is estimated to have sold 1,49,952 units of the Seltos, while the Sonet and the Carens accounted for 34 per cent and 7 per cent of the company's overall dispatches, respectively. 

Though Kia India is one of the key exporters, with the Anantapur facility (with an annual production capacity of 3.50 lakh units) being a strategic export base for Kia Corporation, the company remains focused more on selling its cars in the domestic markets and is now going to make 90 per cent of products for India from this year. 

'Our dedication to quality and innovation has driven us to this milestone. The success of our Made in India vehicles internationally shows our commitment to quality. We've quickly become a major market for Kia Corporation and aim to maintain this momentum. While our focus is on the domestic market, we plan to keep our exports steady this year,' said Myung-sik Sohn, Chief Sales Officer, Kia India.

Also Read: Sonet, Seltos and More Help Kia India Register 3.9% Year-on-Year Sales Growth in May

Apart from the Carnival facelift, Kia India is also working toward bringing in the revamped Carens. The launch date is under wraps; however, we expect Kia to introduce the Carens MPV next year. It will likely borrow styling elements from the updated Sonet and Seltos, but no changes are expected to the powertrain options.