Kia Motors, world’s 8th largest automaker shared its India business plans and expansion strategy during a press conference in Nagpur today. Yong S. Kim, Executive Director and CSO, Kia Motors India and Mr. Manohar Bhat, Vice President and Head of Sales & Marketing, Kia Motors India, revealed that the company recently held the world premiere of the much-awaited Seltos in Delhi on 20th June. With a target of launching a new car every six to nine months after the launch of the Seltos in India.
- Seltos to come with segment first 1.4 Turbo GDI with 7DCT transmission along with other diesel and petrol variants in automatic and manual options
- Seltos will be segment first BS6 compliant vehicles in all powertrains
- UVO Connect technology with 37 smart features to offer an engaging drive with enhanced convenience
- With high level of localization, this Make for India vehicle offers enhanced drivability, aggressive exterior styling and suave interiors
- With 265 touch points across 160 cities, Kia to launch Seltos with the biggest network for a new entrant
- Kia is planning to expand its portfolio by launching cars every six to nine months with launch of the Seltos scheduled in the second half of 2019.
Staying true to its brand philosophy of ‘The Power to Surprise,’ the Kia Seltos comes not only with segment first and India first features but also with world first features too. The Kia Seltos is the first car in the segment with a heads-up-display to ensure the customer’s full attention remains on the road. The vehicle boasts hi-tech sound mood lamp that changes the lighting based on the driver’s mood, a rear share curtain to keep the rear occupants protected from the harsh rays, a surround view monitor to tackle every blind spot. Seltos also provides a concierge service on the go from its proprietary UVO app, POI push to car, air purifier on and off and comes equipped with dedicated SOS, RSA and UVO buttons on the IRVM that are always to alert the assistance services in case of emergency.
The Kia Seltos is indigenously manufactured, and oozes contemporary and stylish design with plush, spacious interiors. The vehicle boasts many world, India and segment firsts with class leading safety features, making the vehicle capable to disrupt the segment and create a niche for itself. Kia Seltos comes equipped with Smartstream, a third-generation powertrain developed for high efficiency and powerful performance. Originally slated for India, the vehicle hosts world class design, quality and features and now will also be available in global markets from the 4th quarter of 2019.
Kia aims to reach out to every possible customer and provide the best possible care for them even in the remotest corners of the country. The company plans to begin retail sales with the highest number of touchpoints for any new car entrant in India. The company will cater to its customers through 265 Customer touch points owned by Kia authorised dealer partners, spread across 160 cities. As part of the company’s customer-centric strategy, on/offline sales system will be available from day one of sales, while digitalizing the entire customer journey from sales to services, including introduction of digital showrooms.
Kia plans to expand its portfolio by launching a new car in every six to nine months, lining at least 5 vehicles by 2021. Staying true to the company’s global commitment of ‘The Power to Surprise’, Kia plans to provide experiences that go beyond expectations. The brand is deeply focusing on future mobility, design, product and capacity along with world-class vehicle maintenance and repair services facilities to create strong foundations in the country by providing the best car ownership experience to Indian customers. Since its entry in the Indian market, Kia Motors has focused on developing a strong Aftersales & Network presence in India and customer relations. To further ease the process of owning a Kia, the automaker has signed an MoU with 8 leading banks of India to provide financing solutions with attractive offers to the customers that will enhance the brand’s penetration in tier 2, 3 and 4 markets.
Design has been at the forefront of Kia’s brand philosophy and the company has proved its design prowess time and again. This year, Kia won three prestigious Red-Dot Design award for the Kia Ceed range – marking the third consecutive win and cementing Kia’s position as car design leaders in the world. Additionally, Kia’s first brand TVC for India revealed the unique elements that are instrumental in lending the inimitable design exclusive to Kia cars in a very creative manner. The brand campaign TVC has clinched the title of the single most watched ad on the video-streaming site, in India with more than 236 Mn views on YouTube and more than 300 Mn views across social media in just 50 days.
