Statistics say that India is the fifth largest automobile market in the world. Indian car scene has brands like the Rolls Royce, Bentley and Ferrari fighting for the slice of the market share. Even with their staggering prices, these premium brands garner a niche of the market and sell a good number of cars. But the fact remains, even in 2019 there are international automobile marques that are absent from the Indian market.Most recent international brand to make its way to the Indian market is FCA’s Jeep. And oh boy! it has been well received by the Indian consumers. With so much potential in the market, brands like MG and Kia are also ready to play their cards in the Indian automotive market. Kia has shredded its image as a manufacturer with a portfolio limited to commuter cars. Its global lineup has performance cars like Kia Stinger that puts expensive BMWs and Audis to shame. Kia is a renowned South Korean brand which has a rich manufacturing experience of decades. Kia is the second largest automotive brand in South Korea. Kia and Hyundai are sister concerns. Hyundai has 33.88% stakes in Kia. Kia is a global manufacturer known for its value for money cars in Asia, Europe, America, and Australia. By entering the Indian market, Kia will create employment avenues and its increase its revenue.
The company plans to start selling its cars by this year. Anantapur, in Andhra Pradesh, has been chosen as Kia’s manufacturing plant in India. A local manufacturing plant has been built to avoid the high taxes implied by the Indian government on imports. A local manufacturing plant is a very important step by the brand to keep its price low and compete more effectively with major players in the country. Kia will enter the Indian market with their SP2i SUV. We do know that the Kia is planning to launch at least six car models in the Indian market. But do hope for the brand to introduce these models soon. Kia Motors has appointed Manohar Bhat as the country’s sales and marketing head. Bhat seems very optimistic for the brand’s entry in the Indian Market. Kia has the product lineup to grab the market share from the likes of Renault, Ford, Tata, Mahindra, and Maruti Suzuki. Manohar keeps a vision to expand the brand in all over the country, including the tier 4 cities. And to reach those Tier 4 cities, it is really important to decide a price that will please the middle-class. Bhat said that the current high sales of SUVs in India is the reason that Kia is starting with the SP2 SUV. And Kia believes that they have made SP2, a right SUV for the Indian consumer's needs.As of now, Kia has completed the development of its $1 billion manufacturing plant which has the capacity to build 300,000 cars each year. And with the plant completed ahead of its deadline you might see Kia cars rolling on the Indian Roads, soon. Kia SP2 SUV will be priced in the range from ₹9 lakhs to ₹16 lakhs and is said to compete with the Renault’s Duster, Maruti Suzuki’s S-Cross and Hyundai’s Creta. These three cars have been the Indian consumer favorite for many years. And these cars still stand strong with Duster being the oldest among the competition. We hope for the Kia to bring something new to the table because the usual bells and whistles won’t make the consumer to leave other brands for Kia.