Kia is a new company to India that entered India in 2017 by establishing its first manufacturing plant in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, set up in 536 arcs of land for the mass production of cars in India and to export it to other countries.
They started their production on 31 July 2019 and began selling seats as their first product in India. The plant is capable of producing 300000 vehicles annually.
if you want to know more about the company, then you can check this Wikipedia page link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kia_Motors_India#:~:text=The%20company%20was%20founded%20on,started%20on%2031%20July%202019
Peoples who know about the automotive industry will instantly tell you that India's cars' sales are highly unpredictable. That is why Kia entered in 2017 to study the Indian market to see the cars' trend and what they want.
Here are some reasons why they became so popular on their first try in India.
Their first product is an SUV
we all know that SUV's market is growing day by day, and everybody wants an SUV in every segment, whatever the price or budget of the peoples allow.
Not just in India but also throughout the whole world, SUVs are popular than any other segment.
Sedans are a dying breed now these days, and SUVs are trending designs as peoples sit high in these cars, which provide a commanding view to the driver, which makes driving in city traffic very easy and pleasant.
These cars have high ground clearance compared to the sedans, which help to tackle our Indian roads, especially during rainy seasons when our Indian roads convert into rivers.
Well equipped with features
another big reason to get success in India with its first product is a well-equipped car with loads of features which is always loved by peoples around the world. some of the highlighted features of the KIA sectors are:
ice cube design fog lights, 17" inch alloy wheels, led design headlights(in top variants), ambient mood lighting synced with sound, air purifier, ventilated seats, 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, 8 way electrically adjustable driver seat, leather in gear knob, steering wheel and seats.
The car has loads of safety like 6 airbags(in top variant), ABS, EBD, ESP, traction control, speed sensing auto door lock, high-speed alert system, driver seat belt reminder, brake assist, hill hold control(in automatic variant), etc.
One key feature that today peoples are craving a lot is connected car tech, which allows the owner to control car features like start& stop the engine, switch on/off the car's AC, etc.
wide range of engine and gearbox option
With emission norms getting strict daily and introducing bs6 norms, Kia already made their product to meet the bs6 emission standards by providing a wide range of petrol and diesel engines.
The first is a naturally aspirated petrol engine with 113bhp at 6300 rpm and torque of 144nm at 4500 pm.
This engine is mated to a manual and a CVT gearbox with a mileage figure of 16.8 km.
The other option you get is a turbocharged petrol engine, which churns out 138bhp at 6000rpm with 242nm of torque at 1500rpm, which also comes mated with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dct gearbox. The ARAI mileage of this combination is 16.5 km.
The third option is a diesel engine with 113bhp of power at 4000rpm and 250nm of torque at 1500 rpm mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter with claimed mileage figures of 18 km.
So now peoples have a wide range of options to choose from in terms of engine type, fuel type, and transmission options, especially in the automatic gearbox as the company provides dct, CVT, and torque converter.
well distribution of price across the range
The company has priced the slots very well, in my opinion, as the car's price starts from 9.90 lakhs for the HTE petrol variant and goes all the way up to 17.55 lakhs for the GTX diesel automatic variant (all the prices mentioned here are ex-showroom price).
So whether you are on a tight budget or have a deep pocket, there is a variant for you that you can choose according to your needs.
These are why Kia seltos got so much attention from the Indian public despite being the new product from India's new company.
I hope all you readers must agree with me through these points and have a good day.
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