Kia India, the Indian division of the South Korean carmaker, has crossed the one lakh export mark for its Completely Knocked Down (CKD) vehicles. The company has been exporting CKD units from its Anantapur manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh since June 2020. CKD units are cars that are delivered in parts from one destination and then assembled at another destination where they are sold.
Interestingly, Kia India plays a major role as the export hub of Kia Corporation, accounting for 50 percent of the company’s CKD exports worldwide. Kia India currently exports the Seltos, Sonet and Carens as CKD units to various countries including Uzbekistan, Ecuador and Vietnam.
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With the increase in exports of CKD units, Kia India aims to export more than 38,000 CKD units to the markets of Uzbekistan, Ecuador and Vietnam in 2024. Furthermore, the company also plans to expand its CKD exports to more locations such as the Middle East and Africa. Aim to double export volume by 2030.
Talking about exports, Kia India had crossed the figure of 2.5 lakh exports in April 2024. Till now, the company has exported more than 3.67 lakh cars from India. Chief Sales Officer Junsoo Cho said India is a key market for Kia Corporation, serving not only as a strong sales driver but also as an emerging export hub, with models such as the Seltos, Sonet and Carens gaining international popularity. Are performing strongly in the markets.
Kia Seltos and Sonet have played the lead role in this
Kia India noted that Seltos continues to be the top contributor contributing around 60 per cent to total exports. Meanwhile, the share of Kia Sonet in total exports was 34 percent while the share of Kia Carens was 6 percent.
Interestingly, it is not just the export market but also the domestic market where the Kia Seltos has been the best performing car for the company, followed by the Kia Sonet. In August this year, Kia India reported that the company had crossed the one million domestic sales mark within 59 months of starting its retail operations in the country.
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The company said that while the Seltos continues to be a hot-seller for Kia, models like the Sonet and Carens have also received a very good response. The Sonet competes in the sub-compact SUV segment and accounts for 34 per cent of the company’s total domestic sales, while the Carense is a major player in the three-row utility vehicle segment and has a 16 per cent share in Kia India. Sales.
