Retaining its sharp deal with India’s rising SUV market, South Korean carmaker Kia is seeking to handle extra sub-segments by including fashions throughout the B- and C-segments.
The corporate is engaged on a B-segment SUV for India in 2028. The proposed mannequin is more likely to be electrical and shall be positioned between the Syros and Seltos, folks acquainted with the corporate’s plans advised Autocar Skilled.
Kia can be evaluating a C-segment utility automobile to bridge the hole between the Seltos and the upcoming Sorento. The corporate has but to resolve whether or not this mannequin will take the type of an SUV or an MPV.
The 2 merchandise are a part of Kia’s plan to deal with further worth factors and cut back the gaps in its India portfolio. They are going to place new fashions on both facet of the Seltos, which stays central to the carmaker’s home enterprise.
Responding to queries from Autocar Skilled, a Kia India spokesperson didn’t touch upon the particular product programmes however pointed to the momentum throughout its present portfolio.
“Kia India continues to see sturdy momentum throughout our portfolio, with the all-new Seltos averaging round 10,000 models a month since launch, which is a transparent reflection of the belief our clients proceed to put in us,” the spokesperson stated.
“We stay carefully attuned to market response and evolving buyer demand, and this continues to information how we take into consideration our portfolio and our plans right here. India stays a strategic marketplace for Kia globally, because it has been since we entered, and we are going to proceed to scale our operations in step with the market’s development and our clients’ evolving wants.”
B-SUV Deliberate for 2028
The B-SUV is anticipated to occupy the house created because the new-generation Seltos strikes up in measurement, positioning and worth. It can give Kia one other providing above the sub-four-metre Syros with out considerably overlapping with the Seltos.
Whereas the powertrain technique remains to be being firmed up, the mannequin is more likely to be launched as an EV. This might strengthen Kia’s presence within the mass-market electrical automobile house, the place competitors from Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra is anticipated to accentuate.
The proposed mannequin will type a part of Kia’s wider electrification programme. The carmaker has indicated that eight of the ten fashions it plans to introduce from 2026 will characteristic some type of electrification.
C-Phase Utility Car Below Research
Kia is individually learning a utility automobile that can sit between the Seltos and Sorento. The programme stays at an early stage, with its physique model, structure and ultimate positioning but to be determined.
An SUV would give Kia a direct presence within the house above the Seltos. An MPV or SUV-MPV crossover may construct on the corporate’s expertise with the Carens and Carnival.
Both format would permit Kia to deal with clients searching for extra cabin house or three-row seating with out shifting into the premium worth band of the Sorento. The timing and enterprise case for the mannequin stay below analysis.
Powertrain Gaps Being Addressed
The product enlargement shall be supported by a wider vary of powertrains. Kia is making ready to introduce hybrids and CNG whereas increasing its EV portfolio and retaining diesel in segments the place demand stays vital.
The upcoming Sorento is anticipated to steer Kia’s hybrid push. The seven-seat SUV is more likely to provide a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol strong-hybrid powertrain alongside a diesel engine.
The Carnival can be anticipated to obtain a hybrid possibility whereas retaining diesel. A hybrid model of the Seltos is lined up for 2027, giving Kia an electrified providing within the coronary heart of India’s midsize SUV market.
Kia can be anticipated to enter the CNG market by way of the Carens. The corporate is more likely to comply with a selective technique reasonably than lengthen CNG throughout its whole portfolio.
The broader powertrain unfold will handle one of many gaps in Kia’s present line-up. The corporate’s mass-market portfolio has up to now remained largely depending on petrol and diesel, at the same time as CNG, hybrids and EVs have gained larger acceptance amongst Indian consumers.
New Merchandise Help 2030 Goal
Kia is concentrating on home gross sales of round 4.1 lakh models and a market share of seven.6 p.c by 2030. It additionally plans to broaden its gross sales and repair community to round 800 touchpoints.
The addition of extra fashions and powertrains may require contemporary manufacturing capability. Kia is individually learning a brand new manufacturing line with an annual capability of round 2 lakh models at its Anantapur plant in Andhra Pradesh. The proposal stays on the analysis stage.
The brand new-generation Seltos has supplied contemporary momentum to Kia’s India enterprise, with month-to-month volumes understood to have reached round 10,000-12,000 models. The Sonet stays one other key contributor, having offered round 1.15 lakh models within the final monetary yr.
The proposed B- and C-segment fashions, supported by a wider mixture of powertrains, shall be central to Kia’s plan to broaden its addressable market and scale up its India enterprise over the rest of the last decade.
