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All set to make its entry in the Indian passenger vehicle (PV) market next year, Korean automaker Kia Motors on Tuesday said it will have the largest dealership network for a foreign player that has ever entered the domestic market.
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Kia Motors to enter Indian car market with country’s largest dealership network -
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Source:New Indian Express Bangalore 5 Dec 2018
Saw "Carnival" yesterday. Had "For Kia Official" sticker on it. Looked huge and impressive. Couldn't explore much as the driver was sleeping inside :D. Noticed that even rear sliding doors had request sensors.
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Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR
(Post 4519995)
Television commercials have started. Saw this ad thrice during the past 30 minutes.
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Saw it too. I was not expecting the Sportage in India so soon? What is with the astronaut?
Has Kia pulled of an Omega? The Moonwatch kind of stuff?
If KIA is not averse to properly compete with Hyundai, they should bring the Rio with 1l TGDI and price it similarly as i20 Asta. I drove one a couple months back and it was very nice to drive, very practical with lots of spaces and looks better too in my opinion. The 1l turbo engine is very rev happy unlike the 1.2NA in i10/i20 and it was very fuel efficient too - I got around 18-20kmpl on mountain roads (granted with little traffic but including driving on snow). I can't believe that Hyundai can get away with pricing the i20 petrol nearly at 10L with the same engine as i10 !
Spotted the already spotted Carnival at Devanhalli this morning.
Kia's model range sure looks promising, I wish they differ from Hyundai in giving slightly premium (affordable luxury/sporty) vehicles with better after sales support. They should mould themselves like Skoda at launch in desirability of their products (not after sales). That way both can coexist catering to different segments instead of cannibalizing each others sales.
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Originally Posted by sabby_4c
(Post 4520534)
If KIA is not averse to properly compete with Hyundai, they should bring the Rio with 1l TGDI and price it similarly as i20 Asta. I drove one a couple months back and it was very nice to drive, very practical with lots of spaces and looks better too in my opinion. The 1l turbo engine is very rev happy unlike the 1.2NA in i10/i20 and it was very fuel efficient too - I got around 18-20kmpl on mountain roads (granted with little traffic but including driving on snow).
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KIA should compete against Hyundai on every level, they should bring in the Rio, Picanto, Forte, Sportage, Cadenza, Niro Electric and Optima. There is only one way to take on the number one car maker in India, that is to create plenty of options within the same group even if it results in some competition within the group brands, and since Hyundai has had not much showing in the high end models like Sonata, Tucson and Elantra they should allow KIA to assume the premium position.. like Skoda has over parent VW. Even if 10 Cadenzas sell per month that is good showing for the brand.
Interesting things will happen with the arrival of KIA I'm sure.. they are going heavy on the marketing and if they don't skimp on quality, much like Hyundai and perhaps even manufacture greater quality cars than Hyundai then its going to set the cat among the pigeons. Ride quality, apparently is going to be stiffer than that in Hyundai if international trends are to be believed which is bad for me.. I'll hold my reservations until the test drive though.
I do not know if Kia is considering the Carnival for India, but it could be the first true competitor to the Innova. I have seen this in other Asian countries and it does feel a lot bigger than the Innova and pricier too. But Toyota has been pricing the Innova at a premium in India than other countries, so if Kia can do some heavy localization of the Carnival, it can become a credible alternative. But it would not be easy though, since Hyundai does not have a Carnival equivalent, Kia would have to develop this from ground up, unlike Rio and other cars which share platforms and engines.
Isn't Kia partly owned by Hyundai? Wonder how they'll play out.
I have driven the Kia Sedona in the past. A very fine vehicle. If they have a good spread of the service centers in the country, they will do great.
Also, it's amazing that such small countries (Japan, Korea, Germany, etc) have such incredible international brands and products while it's hard to imagine any such thing from India!
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Originally Posted by Miyata
(Post 4521209)
Isn't Kia partly owned by Hyundai? Wonder how they'll play out.
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Well, KIA & Hyundai are run in typical Korean 'chaebol' format, where they have cross holdings in each others businesses. Practically, they compete at every market where both are present.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miyata
(Post 4521209)
Also, it's amazing that such small countries (Japan, Korea, Germany, etc) have such incredible international brands and products while it's hard to imagine any such thing from India!
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Being colonized during the age of industrial revolution where the colonizer exported raw materials, suppressed local industries & sold imported items sure did not help ! But that's a discussion for a different thread altogether.
In the limited time since independence, I think we can fairly say that Indian industry has achieved a lot in certain niche areas (example ISRO).
It's exciting to see a new entrant lining up popular cars from their portfolio in a market already dominated by competition.
I wish Honda and VW take a leaf out of Kia's books and offer the likes of HR-V, T-Cross and save themselves the embarrassment of a further loss in market share.
Kia Sportage first teaser TVC is out, noticed it during cricket coverage in the morning, though some automotive websites are claiming the model itself won't be launched. The SP-Concept based Trazor (nomenclature yet to be confirmed) is the first official launch scheduled for festive season later this year.
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