Kia Motors India, which has launched its first car – Seltos - for the domestic market today, said that it plans to roll out 6 new cars over the next 3 years. Besides the midsized sports utility vehicle (SUV) Seltos, Korean carmaker’s aggressive product strategy for India, one of the toughest automobile markets globally, includes a premium multi utility vehicle (MPV) and also a sub-four-meter compact SUV, among other models.
In an interaction with Mint today in Mumbai, Kook Hyun Shim, CEO and managing director, Kia Motors India said, “We will introduce new car every 6-8 months and this is our internal target also. We will launch 5-6 new cars in the next 3 years that will include a premium MPV and a sub-four-meter compact SUV. We remain focused on the UV market in India because this segment is also strong point for Kia globally.”
Kia, a sister company to Hyundai Motor Corporation, is also studying the competitive compact car market in India and has plans to develop new products for the domestic market in the mid to long term. However, the top company official cautioned that the evaluation is in early stages only at the moment.
“In the long run, we will also get into the compact car market. We are studying this space in India. We are just beginning to understand this market here and there is nothing fixed on the ground on this at the moment,” Shim added.
{{/usCountry}}“In the long run, we will also get into the compact car market. We are studying this space in India. We are just beginning to understand this market here and there is nothing fixed on the ground on this at the moment,” Shim added.
{{/usCountry}}The company has launched its midsized SUV Seltos earlier today with an aggressive starting price tag of ₹9.69 lakh (ex-showroom). Launched in a total of 16 variants across 3 BSVI-compliant engine options – 1.5 petrol, 1.5 diesel and 1.4 turbocharged petrol – the Seltos SUV range will take on the likes of the SUV segment leader Hyundai Creta and others including Mahindra XUV500, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Renault Captur, Nissan Kicks along with the newly launched Tata Harrier and MG Hector. Kia claims to have already received more than 32,000 bookings for the feature-loaded Seltos SUV.