Kia's India Strategic Model Sells 150,000 Units in 1 Year and 9 Months

Kia Sonet

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Kia's compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) Sonet, launched targeting the Indian market, has surpassed 150,000 units in cumulative local sales within 1 year and 9 months of its release.

According to the company on the 24th, Sonet sold 33,232 units in India from the beginning of this year until last month. Since its launch in India in September 2020, the cumulative sales volume has been recorded at 150,884 units. It exceeded 150,000 units in 21 months.

In its first year after launch, Sonet sold 38,363 units in just 4 months in the compact SUV segment, which is the largest in the Indian automobile market. It ranked 4th following Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Venue, and Tata Nexon. Last year, it also ranked 4th with a total of 79,289 units sold.

The Indian compact SUV market is highly competitive among the top models, with the top 4 models accounting for two-thirds of sales as of last year. Sonet features Kia’s distinctive ‘Tiger Nose Grille’ design and, considering the local situation where passenger occupancy is high, it offers a spacious second-row space and connected car functions such as remote start and theft prevention.

This year, starting in April, Kia enhanced the product by adding 4 airbags as a standard feature in the lower trim, which increased monthly sales by about 1,500 units. Kia sold 97,799 units locally from the beginning of this year until last month, showing about a 19% increase in sales compared to the same period last year.