Kia Motors To Take Seltos SUV From India To The World
Designed and developed for India, Kia Seltos will be made at the firm’s Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh and exported from there.
South Korean carmaker Kia Motors Corp. on Thursday announced the global launch of its sports utility vehicle Seltos in India, where it plans to launch four new models over the next two years.
The Kia Seltos has been designed and developed keeping the Indian market in mind. It will be exported from the company’s plant in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, to West Asia, Africa, Latin America and other Asian countries.
“Kia Motors’ India project plays a crucial role in our global plans... We have invested tremendous amount of energy and resources to position India as a primary driver of Kia’s future success,” Han-Woo Park, president and chief executive officer of Kia Motors, said at the launch of the Kia Seltos in Gurugram.
The Anantapur plant will manufacture four new models, including the Seltos, in the next two years, he added. Overall, Kia has invested $2 billion in India, including $1.1 billion at the plant which has a capacity of three lakh units annually, he added.
Kia had earlier said it was considering rollout of six cars in three years—one model every six months—including an India-exclusive electric vehicle. The firm, however, is not considering the compact car segment that makes up about 70 percent of India’s total car market.
According to Park, Kia Motors is beginning its journey in India with 265 touch points in 160 cities. It will be increased to 300 by 2020 and 350 by 2021. India will have a “major positive impact” on sales strategy of the company, which has a total global combined capacity of 4.1 million units annually, he added.