[volkman10]

KIA to enter India with an India-centric model, sub- 4m CUV in 2019.

The sub-4m SUV, for instance, is a new car for Kia - it doesn't extend in its current range. SUVs-aside, the demand Kia is seeing in India is for sedans because they look big and spacious.

link

[1100D]

Saw this Picanto the other day, being driven towards Burdwan. Many cars go to Nepal/Bhutan from this part of the world, but they are either truck shipped or go in convoy of a few others, not solo like this.

Sharing nevertheless, not sure if its relevant here.

[narayan]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

6. Cerato: Small sedan only available in few markets like Australia.

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The Cerato is actually not a small sedan from an India context. Its very popular here in Singapore and visually bigger and far more premium looking than a Honda City or a Verna. In fact it will look more premium to an Altis and is almost the Altis length.

They should definetly bring this car to India. It has an amazing understated presence even in a extremely high end car centric market like Singapore.

[venom_op]

Frankly all i care about from Kia is if they're going to bring in the Stinger GT to compete with the other "performance" cars in india.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

https://youtu.be/sllT3prFvnA

Autocar India gets a interview with Peter Schreyer, and he shares his thoughts on design, brand identity, focus on the Indian market, sub-4m cars, focus on SUVs etc.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Autocar India gets a interview with Peter Schreyer, and he shares his thoughts on design, brand identity, focus on the Indian market, sub-4m cars, focus on SUVs etc.

Seems like the strongest contender for the first Kia SUV to be introduced here will be the Stonic.

I think SUVs are an important segment, especially small SUVs. They provide a high seating position and ability to negotiate rough roads which are common in India. We’ve recently introduced the Stonic, a unique car with a lot of character, in Europe and Korea, and I think it could fit very well here.

ACI

[sri_tesla]

Update on the KIA factory from Telugu news paper:

1. KIA is opening a skill development training center in Anantpur.
2. Around 35 to 40 anicillary units (mostly from S. Korea) will be setup next to the main factory.
3. Company to employ many local woman after giving them adequate training.

Temporary office at the factory location:

[bhpfaninblr]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

1. KIA is opening a skill development training center in Anantpur.
2. Around 35 to 40 anicillary units (mostly from S. Korea) will be setup next to the main factory.
3. Company to employ many local woman after giving them adequate training.

Thanks for sharing. Will be interesting to see if Kia offers the same engines as the Hyundai or different engines altogether

[sleepyhead148]

Here are a few pics of the main office of the KIA plant that's coming up 50 kms outside Ananthapur on the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway (towards Bangalore). This was during our TeamBHP Mega Hyderabad-Bangalore drive (the reports for which is up in the meet section).

The plant is massive in scale and there are areas earmarked specifically for the engine shop, paint shop and final assembly etc. I couldn't stop at the location for long as the shoulder, on which my car was parked, wasn't sufficient and surroundings were dusty.

Apologies for the picture quality (as I clicked most of them zoomed in).

[GTO]

Big thanks to Arun GV for sharing!

A short video of the KIA Motors plant site with construction happening at a frantic pace.

Location - Alongside NH44, near Penukonda.

In simple words, the plant is very very big.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK7FAEHethg

[itwasntme]

Barely 120 km from BLR airport. I expect to see lots of KIAs in both BLR & AP!

[Enobarbus]

Yes. Especially since the AP government gives road tax exemption to all cars manufactured in AP. Until now only buyers of Isuzu are getting this benefit. The first real mass market cars made in AP will be Kia. The OTR price difference will be a solid 12%. They might beat Maruti sales on AP

[RavenAvi]

Manohar Bhat, former president of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, has joined Kia Motors Co as the head of Sales & Marketing for its India operations.

An IIM Bangalore alumnus, Bhat joins Kia Motors from Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, where he was serving as president.
Prior to Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, Bhat was senior executive with Maruti Suzuki India. He was with Maruti Suzuki India for over seven years.
Bhat had also worked with Hyundai Motor India as General Manager – National Sales in 2005.

ET Auto

[RavenAvi]

Bunny Punia shares exclusive spyshots of the Kia Sportage & Kia Niro SUVs parked at an undisclosed location in India.

The Sportage and Niro were spotted at an undisclosed location recently. Sadly, both the vehicles seemed to have been parked for weeks – they both wear a layer of dust. That said, these images further strengthen the fact that Kia’s Indian future is all set.

[sidparekh]

Originally Posted by 1100D

Saw this Picanto the other day, being driven towards Burdwan. Many cars go to Nepal/Bhutan from this part of the world, but they are either truck shipped or go in convoy of a few others, not solo like this.

Sharing nevertheless, not sure if its relevant here.

Attachment 1688613

Attachment 1688614

Attachment 1688615

Had a chance to rent one of these cute little Picantos while overseas in the Seychelles. Tight little car, nice stiff suspension, quick steering, good fun to drive, except for the 4-speed Auto I had on it. But from an Indian market standpoint, it lacks interior space, even compared to an Alto! Rear seats are pretty unusable, and the boot is unusable without the rear seats down.

I hope Kia just might bring the next gen Picanto to India, hopefully with better interior space.