Kia More Popular Than Toyota, Honda, Tata And Mahindra In March 2020

With only to models in the portfolio, Kia Motor India has managed to consistently rank third on the monthly car sales charts. The carmaker outperformed older brands like Toyota, Honda, Tata and Mahindra even in March 2020.While the Kia Seltos has contributed the greatest to this achievement, the Kia Carnival, a premium MPV, has also recorded a decent start.

The Kia Seltos has played an important role in the achievement of the South Korean automaker.

However, despite being ranked the third position, just after Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai, Kia has experienced a considerable decrease in its monthly sales. In February, 15,644 units were sold by the automaker; but the figure dropped to 8,583 units last month, thereby recording a drop of 45.14%. The Kia Seltos and the Carnival recorded a sales number of 7,466 and 1,117 units, respectively.

Even the two largest auto manufacturers are not exceptions to the sales slowdown. In March, Maruti Suzuki sold 76,240 units, witnessing a 47% decline in comparison with the figure in the same period last year, which was 1,45,031 units. Also, Hyundai has also experienced a decline of 41% in its sales numbers as sales fell to 26,300 units last month from 44,350 units in March 2019. 

Commenting on the achievement and also the sales decrease, Kia India stated,

“Owing to the global pandemic and the countrywide lockdown, Kia Motors India had stopped its wholesale billings on March 16^th 2020, avoiding unnecessary inventory at its dealerships. Counting on the bookings number of Kia cars, the company is expecting a positive sentiment in buyers for Seltos and Carnival after the lockdown period.”

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After launching the Carnival, Kia Motor India is now working on its third product, which will be the prodution version of the Sonet concept showcased at the Auto Expo 2020. The upcoming sub-4-metre rival will be based on the Hyundia Venue but will be positioned as a more premium offering. It will share its engine options and the platform with the Hyundai-badged sibling but will offer more upmarket features, including a Bose-sourced audio unit. The launch of the new model will take place around August this year.