Kia India crosses four-lakh domestic sales milestone; five lakh car dispatches

Kia on Tuesday announced that it has crossed four-lakh sales milestone in the country and completed five lakh vehicle dispatches from its Andhra Pradesh-based Anantapur facility. The company has already achieved export milestone of one lakh units to more than 91 countries since it started shipping Seltos in September 2019.

The carmaker has also become the country's leading UV exporter with a market share of over 25% in 2021. “Ever since our inception in India, we have focused on providing great value to our customers through our ground-breaking products and services," said Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India.

Kia India recently launched its fourth product for the market here - the Carens three-row vehicle - at a starting and introductory price of ₹8.99 lakh (ex showroom). The Made-in-India-for-the-World vehicle combines sophistication and sportiness of an SUV. "With the Carens already launched, we are confident of achieving our next milestones at a much faster pace, creating new benchmarks that will chart the course of our growth journey in the country," Park said.

The company has already so far received over 19,000 bookings in around a month since the reservation window for Carens was opened. The three-row vehicle is a cross between an MPV and SUV, which Kia refers to as a recreational vehicle. The new model will be offered with three engine options. There is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor, a 1.4-litre turbo petrol unit and a 1.5-litre diesel engine as well.

Kia Carens is visually a bit more compact than Hyundai Alcazar as it measures 4,540 mm in length, has a width of 1,800 mm, is 1,708 mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,780 mm. Kia claims that the petrol engine inside the Carens helps it deliver up to 16.5 kmpl while the diesel motor returns around 21.3 kmpl per litre of fuel.