South Korean carmaker Kia registered its best-ever sales numbers since it arrived in India in 2019. Kia clocked 22,622 unit sales in March 2022.
The 22,622 units sold in the month of March mark an 18.44 per cent in year over year sales for Kia. Kia’s March numbers were dominated by the Seltos SUV which accounted for just over 37 per cent of the total sales numbers with 8,415 units leaving the showrooms.
The newly released Carens, which was launched in February also a marked increase in its sales figures with 7,008 units of the MPV dispatched last month.
Despite only entering India in 2019, Kia is already a part of the top 5 automotive manufacturers in terms of sales numbers. The first quarter of 2022 was also the best ever for the company with the Korean marque dispatching 60,062 units into the domestic market, a 9.5 per cent increase in sales compared to the same quarter last year.
Kia also sold 1,86,787 cars in the financial year 2021-22. Despite the global supply chain disruption due to a lack of semiconductor chips, Kia registered a growth of 20 per cent year over year compared to the financial year 2020-21. For the financial year 2021-22, the Seltos & Sonet SUVs were the brand’s big sellers accounting for 51 and 40 per cent of Kia’s sales.
Speaking about his company’s record-breaking sales in March, Hardeep Singh Brar, VP and Head of Sales & Marketing, Kia India said, “2022 has been a good year for us so far as we have been able to sustain our positive sales momentum in the past quarter. Our growing sales number can be attributed to our recently launched Carens, which has won Indian customers’ hearts. We look forward to this outstanding positive trajectory continuing, backed by our revolutionary products and quality customer experience services. We thank our customers for their unwavering faith in us so far.”
Brar further added, “While we are happy with the growing demand for Kia Cars in the country, we are well aware of the long waiting periods and hence we have commenced the production in three shifts at our Anantapur facility. We are still in the recovery phase, as the semiconductor shortage remains a concern, which has affected our planned production. However, we assure our customers that we are vigilant of the trends globally and taking adequate measures to keep the waiting periods in check.”
Kia currently sells four vehicles in India – 2 SUVs (seltos & Sonet) and 2 MPVs (Carnival and the recently launched Carens). Kia’s latest addition to its lineup – the Carens MPV crossed the 50,000 bookings mark. Since its arrival in February, Kia has sold 12,117 units of the Carens MPV.
Kia recently celebrated another milestone with its plant in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh crossing the 5 lakh unit dispatch mark. Out of the 5 lakh units dispatched from its plant in Anantpur, Kia has exported 1 lakh units to more than 91 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Central & South America, Mexico and the Asia-Pacific since it started shipping the Seltos in September 2019.
Thoughts On Kia’s Record-Breaking Sales Month
March 2022 saw Kia dispatch a record 22,622 units to customers in India. The Korean carmaker’s targeted utility vehicle approach to the Indian market look to be paying off as more and more customers flock to the Korean carmaker’s showrooms across the country. If the interest in Kia’s lineup continues along these lines, we expect Kia to continue breaking records in the future as it cements its place in the Indian car market.
Keyword: Kia Clocks Best-Ever Sales Since Arrival In India - The Carens Effect