Kia India is planning to increase its annual production capacity to 4 lakh units from 3 lakh units by the end of 2022. Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO has revealed that the company will ramp up its production via efficiency enhancement instead of creating new production lines. The reason behind this decision is said to be the current pandemic situation in some parts of the world and disrupted supply chain. The South Korean automaker manufactured over 5 lakh units (SUV & MPVs) in India and exported over 1 lakh units to select global markets till date.
At present, the company has four models in its Indian product portfolio including Sonet, Seltos, Carens and Carival. Tae-Jin Park said that the company is witnessing high demand for SUVs therefore its focus will remain on the SUV segment. Recently, Kia India has announced that it will begin accepting pre-bookings for the upcoming Kia EV6 electric crossover. Only 100 units will be allocated for its first year. The EV6 will come to India as a CBU unit and it’s expected to cost over Rs 50 lakh (ex-showroom). A single, full-loaded variant will be on offer with 77.4kWh battery pack and dual e-AWD system.
If reports are to be believed, Kia plans to launch a mass-market small petrol SUV and an electric SUV based on a new flexible platform. Both models won’t arrive before 2025. The upcoming Kia mass-market small petrol will be placed below the Sonet in the company’s product lineup. In term of pricing and positioning, it will take directly on the Tata Punch. The automaker might use the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios’ 1.2L naturally aspirated petrol and 1.0L turbo petrol engines. The small SUV might also come with the factory-fitted CNG option as well.
More details on the upcoming Kia small petrol and electric SUVs are likely to be revealed in near future. Stay tuned to IndiaCarNews.
