Kia Seltos, Sonet And Carens Contribute More Than 2.5 Lakh Exports From India

Kia Quick Highlights

• Kia India surpassed the export milestone with more than 2.5 lakh cars dispatched  overseas.

• Kia Seltos accounts for 59 percent of overall export dispatches.

• Kia Sonet accounts for 34 percent.

• Kia Carens contributed 7 percent.

Kia India has set a benchmark for exporting cars for the overseas markets from its Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) manufacturing plant. Since Kia commenced operations from this facility in 2019, it has shipped 255,133 units of its cars to more than 100 international markets including Chile, South Africa, Paraguay and Latin America. 

Notably, Kia’s best selling SUV, the Seltos, is also the highest exported vehicle in its portfolio with over 59 percent of the total number of exports. Kia’s subcompact SUV, Sonet accounted for 34 percent of the overall exports, while the Carens MPV stacked 7 percent of the overseas dispatches. Kia’s Anantapur facility has a production capacity of more than 3 lakh units per year, and since its operational start in 2019, has dispatched over 12 lakh vehicles with 9.8 lakh cars sold in the domestic market through dealership touchpoints in more than 265 cities, and 2.5 lakh cars sold overseas. 

Kia Seltos

Kia’s first ever product for the Indian market, the Seltos compact SUV was launched in 2019. In its facelifted avatar, the updated model brings in a series of updates that enhance the visual appeal and functionality of the vehicle. 

The Seltos retains its sporty and robust stance with its large signature “tiger-nose” grille, new LED headlamp and connected taillamp cluster, and redesigned bumpers to give it a sportier presence. It now comes with larger 18-inch alloy wheels for the top trims and gets a few variant additions along with a new Pewter Olive colour option.

The interiors of the Seltos boasts a redesigned dashboard with a dual screen setup including a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Additionally, it is equipped with niceties like a premium Bose sound system, ventilated front seats, an air purifier, electronic parking brake, a panoramic sunroof and dual-zone automatic climate control system. 

On the safety front, it gets 6-airbags, ABS with EBD as standard across the line-up. It also gets front and rear parking sensors with a 360-degree camera, hill-hold and hill-start assist, electronic stability control and even ADAS features like emergency braking and front and rear blind-spot mitigation system.

The Seltos is available in three engine options: a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine (115 PS and 144 Nm) paired to a 6-speed manual or a CVT automatic transmission, a 1.5-litre diesel unit (116 PS and 250 Nm) paired to a 6-speed manual, 6-speed torque converter or a 6-speed IMT (clutchless manual) transmission, and a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine (160 PS and 253 Nm) mated to a 6-speed iMT or a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. 

The Kia Seltos is offered in three wide trim levels – Tech-Line, GT-Line and X-Line – that further break up into multiple variants. It is priced from Rs 10.89 lakh to Rs 20.34 lakh (ex-showroom). It rivals other compact SUVs like the Hyundai Creta, VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq and MG Astor. 

Kia Sonet 

Kia’s subcompact SUV, the Sonet has also been given significant updates both inside and out. It gets refreshed styling with a new grille, updated LED headlamp and connected tail lamp clusters, redesigned alloy wheels and refreshed interiors with multiple colour options depending on the variant. 

Comfort and convenience features encompass a four-way semi-powered driver’s seat, ventilated front seats and rear window shades. Additionally the Sonet comes equipped with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay,  a digital instrument cluster, automatic climate control, sunroof and a premium Bose sound system. On the safety front, it gets all-four wheel disk brakes, ABS with EBD and 6-airbags as standard across the line-up. It also gets front and rear parking sensors with 360-degree camera support, tyre pressure monitoring system and ADAS Level 1 features like lane keep assist and forward collision warning. 

The Kia Sonet is offered in three different engine options and multiple powertrains: a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine (83 PS and 115 Nm) mated to a 5-speed manual transmission, a 1-litre turbo petrol engine (120 PS and 172 Nm) mated to a 6-speed iMT and a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission and a 1.5-litre diesel engine (116 PS and 250 Nm) paired to a 6-speed manual, 6-speed iMT and a 6-speed automatic transmission. 

The Kia Sonet is available in nine different variants with prices starting from Rs 7.99 lakh to Rs 15.74 lakh (ex-showroom). It rivals other subcompact SUVs in its segment like the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and the Mahindra XUV 3XO.

Kia Carens

The Kia Carens is the brand’s 6- and 7-seater MPV which boasts the longest wheelbase in its segment. It gets an LED headlamp setup with the signature tiger-nose grille and connected tail lights at the rear. The interior second row seat gets one touch tumble down function for improved ingress and egress. The Kia Carens is set to get a mid-life makeover with redesigned styling and interior features soon. An electric version of the MPV has also been confirmed and under development. 

The Kia Carens gets interior comfort and convenience features like a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, a 10.25-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a premium Bose speaker system, a single-pane sunroof, 64-colour ambient lighting, air purifier, push button start/stop, keyless entry, wireless phone charger, and ventilated front seats. On the safety front it gets 6-airbags, ABS with EBD as standard across its range along with all-wheel disk brakes, hill-start and hill-assist control, front and rear parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring system.

The Kia Carens gets three engine options: a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine (115 PS and 250 Nm) mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, a 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine (160 PS and 253 Nm) mated to a 6-speed iMT (clutchless manual) or a 7-speed dual clutch transmission, and a 1.5-litre diesel unit (116 PS and 250 Nm) mated to a 6-speed manual, 6-speed iMT and a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

The Kia Carens is available in six broad trim levels with prices starting from Rs 10.51 lakh to Rs 19.66 lakh (ex-showroom), and it rivals other MPVs in the segment like the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, Toyota Rumion and and is an affordable alternative to the Toyota Innova Crysta and Toyota Innova Hycross.