Seeing a dramatic shift in the EV industry, South Korean automaker Kia has announced that it’ll come up with a detailed strategy for electric vehicles in India.
“Currently, we are studying because there are multiple factors…like pricing, range, charging infrastructure. So we are looking at all the multiple angles and somewhere next year we will announce our EV strategy,” Kia India Vice-President and Head (Sales and Marketing) Hardeep Singh Brar told news agency PTI.
On synergy with its parent company Hyundai for the EV plan India, Brar said both companies play their “own game”. Notably, Hyundai also plans to invest ₹4,000 crore in India as the Korean auto giant aims to bring in six EVs in the country by 2028.
Brar also said Kia is aiming at 30 per cent year-on-year growth next year as it plans to increase production by over 75,000 units.
On the chip shortage, Brar hoped the situation would become better in 2022. He said the waiting period has shot up due to the semiconductor shortage, which has caused around 20 per cent cancellation of bookings so far.
As per Brar, Kia is planning to increase the number of touchpoints to 400 from 339 having a presence across 225 cities in the year to come.
The company, which currently sells three products in India — Seltos, Sonet and Carnival — today unveil its fourth model ‘Carens’ for the Indian market. The model, which the company refers to as a recreational vehicle (RV), is slated for launch in the first quarter of next year.
The three-row seater model will be available in India as well as selected markets starting from the first quarter of 2022.
The Kia Carens would come with both petrol and diesel powertrains combined with multiple transmission options, including the 7-speed DCT and 6 speed AT.
Kia has sold over 3.5 lakh units in the country to date and is now inching towards the 4 lakh cumulative sales mark.
Source: livemint.com
