Seltos, Sonet and More Help Kia India Clock Over 20% Sales Growth in April 2023
In April 2023, Kia reported selling 23,216 units in India, representing a 22% YoY increase. With 9,744 units sold, the Sonet was the largest contributor to overall sales, followed by the Seltos and the Carens, which each sold 7,213 units and 6,107 units.
By Reetika Bhatt
Kia, one of the top 5 auto manufacturers in India, owes its success to the sales volumes driven by models like the Seltos and the Sonet, which constitute a big chunk of the brand's monthly sales. The company has recently reported a 22 per cent YoY increase in sales for the period of January to April 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. In comparison to the 19,019 units sold in April 2022, Kia sales in April 2023 totalled 23,216 units, a 22.07 per cent growth. This represented an increase in volume of 4,197 units. Additionally, month-over-month (MoM) sales increased by 7.98 per cent compared to the 21,501 units sold in March 2023. Here's a detailed breakdown of the carmaker's sales report for the month of April.
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Kia India Sales: April 2023
With a notable increase in sales, Kia Sonet came in first place on the sales list. Sales increased by 80.31 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to 9,744 units in April 2023 from the 5,404 units sold in the same month in 2022. With Sonet controlling a 42.25 per cent share in the company's portfolio, this represented a volume increase of 4,340 units. From 8,677 units sold in March 2023, when share was at 40.36 per cent, the Sonet sales soared by 12.30 per cent on a month-over-month (MoM) basis.
In the previous month, the automaker sold 7,213 Seltos SUVs, which compete with vehicles like the Hyundai Creta and the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Over the 7,506 units sold in April 2022, this represented a year-over-year (YoY) decline of 3.90 per cent. However, compared to the 6,554 units sold in March 2023, MoM sales increased by 10.05 per cent. This boosted the share from 30.48 per cent to 31.27 per cent.
Kia Carens came in third place with 6,107 units sold in April 2023, a 6.13 per cent rise from 5,754 units sold in April 2022. MoM growth of 0.08 per cent over 6,102 units sold in March 2023 was largely unchanged. This negative growth in April was due to a drop in percentage from 28.38 per cent in March 2023 to 26.48 per cent. The Kia Carnival has not fared well in the Indian market. Sales fell 57.18 per cent year on year to 152 units in April 2023, down from 355 units in April 2022. MoM sales were also down 9.52 per cent in March 2023, with 168 units sold.
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Kia India: Future Plans
Over 7 lakh people are currently customers of Kia India in the nation. The automaker sold the final 1 lakh units in just 5 months. Since the start of export operations in 2019, Kia India has exported 2 lakh vehicles to over 95 nations, making it the industry leader in UV and MPV exports for the third straight year. The Kia Seltos facelift was spotted in April 2023 sporting a new rear end with twin exhausts and updated tail lights with sequential indicators. This Seltos facelift is expected to make its debut in India sometime in the upcoming months.
