South Korean carmaker Kia Corporation’s Indian subsidiary, on Thursday, announced that it has achieved a milestone of exporting over 250,000 vehicles from its Anantapur manufacturing facility. Since 2019, the company has shipped 255,133 units to more than 100 international markets.
The Seltos model has been the major contributor, accounting for 59% of the company’s overall overseas dispatches, followed by the Sonet and Carens models, contributing 34% and 7%, respectively.
Myung-sik Sohn, Chief Sales Officer, Kia India, stated, “The success of our Made in India vehicles internationally shows our commitment to quality. We’ve quickly become a major market for Kia Corporation and aim to maintain this momentum. While our focus is on the domestic market, we plan to keep our exports steady this year.”
Know more: Tata Motors EV launch timeline: Curvv, Harrier, Sierra, Avinya Kia India further stated that its Anantapur plant is a key export hub for Kia Corporation. However, the company has recently shifted its focus towards the domestic market, with plans to manufacture 90% of its products for India from this year.
Despite this, Kia India continues to export to over 100 international markets, including South Africa, Chile, Paraguay and other Latin American countries.
The Anantapur plant, which started production about five years ago, has become a crucial export hub within Kia’s global network. According to South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, the Anantapur manufacturing facility’s production capabilities and quality standards have enabled Kia to meet the global demand for RVs.
Also Read: Reduce GST on CNG and flex fuel two wheelers – Auto industry to new NDA govt Kia India signed a memorandum of understanding with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh to build a new manufacturing facility in the Anantapur District in April 2017. The company commenced mass production in August 2019 and has an installed annual production capacity of 300,000 units.
In April 2021, Kia India rebranded itself in line with its new brand identity aimed at offering customers innovative products and services. Under this new identity, Kia has launched five vehicles for the Indian market – the Seltos, the Carnival, the Sonet, the Carens and the EV6.
To date, Kia India has dispatched over 1.2 million vehicles from its Anantapur plant, including over 9.8 lakh domestic sales and over 2.5 lakh exports. The brand has a network of 588 touchpoints across 265 cities.
Also Read: Magenta Mobility deploys over 100 Tata Ace EVs, aiming for 10,000 by 2025