In May 2021, Kia India sold 11,050 units, resulting in a 31% decline in demand month on month. Looking at the growth trends month on month, Kia India sold 16,111 units in April 2021. Due to the sporadic lockdown in many regions of India, the auto sector was severely impacted. Many automakers in India had halted operations due to the lockdowns in May 2021, while dealerships were also not operational as well. This had a major impact on sales for the industry as a whole.
Despite the challenges, Kia India was able to claim a 10.7% market share and was also the fourth largest car manufacturer in volume sales in India. Additionally, its SUVs the Sonet and Seltos were both among the 10 best selling cars in the country.
Tae-Jin Park, Chief Sales and Business Strategy Officer, Kia India said, “We are pleased with our sales performance during this challenging environment. The on-going second wave of COVID-19 pandemic made things tough for all businesses and automobile industry was no exception, as normal business operations got disturbed.”
Park added that the brand is confident that the pent-up demand will help drive recovery for the entire industry in the months to come.
Eariler this year, Kia announced its global rebranding exercise was to be followed in India as well. The Korean automaker rebranded the Sonet and Seltos models with its new logo, with some revisions to the products as well. The Kia Sonet was the best selling model in its segment. It was the biggest contributor to the manufacturer’s performance with 6,627 units sold. Kia’s mid-compact SUV, the Seltos sold 4,277 units in May 2021. While Kia did not mention officially in its statement, by deduction, the remaining 146 units can be contributed to its premium MPV – the Kia Carnival.
