Kia has had a good run in the Indian market. Right from their start, the carmaker has had hit after hit. First the Seltos followed by the Sonet and now Carens along with the Carnival MPV. But with changing customer needs, the Korean carmaker is also offering electric vehicles in India. The first one, the EV6 has been quite popular since the first lot was sold out – Kia anticipated a lower demand than the reality. Now, the carmaker is planning to launch multiple electric vehicles in India by 2025.
According to Tae Jin Park, Managing Director of Kia India, the company will have two locally manufactured electric vehicles on sale by 2025.
The first will be an all-new mass market MPV, which would be specifically designed for India. The MPV segment customers currently have very limited options in the market. Further, with expanding needs of the Indian family, the 6 or 7-seater options are in good demand. This segment is further set to only rise as time progresses. Not everyone wants an SUV, and hence MPVs will be an important segment for Kia.
The electric version of Kia’s AY SUV will be coming to the shelves by 2025. This will measure under 4m and Kia could place this car between the Sonet and the Seltos. Kia will position this as a lifestyle SUV – good street presence, tall design and a boxy profile. This will also ensure that the SUV will not compete with the Sonet.
While the Kia AY SUV has been designed as an electric vehicle ground-up, it will have both electric and ICE engines. According to Kia plans, 80 percent of these will have ICE engines while the balance 20% will get electric powertrains. Kia could also export a few of these to overseas markets.
Kia has already committed a fund of INR 2,000 crore for R&D, infrastructure development and manufacturing for electric vehicles in India. This amount includes the launch of the two aforementioned vehicles.
These new vehicles will be manufactured at Kia’s Anantapur facility. This unit has been designed to handle both ICE and EV models right from the beginning.
Also Read – Kia India sold 28,634 cars in January 2023.