[Jagann13]

A very impressive work by Kia Indeed. Kia has entered the market with a bang! So strong that my brother who is doing a MBA is doing a case study on this. This is a part of his final year project indeed. "Strategy to be followed while entering the Indian Market- Kia Motors, an example" is the project's title.
The same can be said for MG. But I can say that the strategy is a sure success for Kia. I hope for the same to continue as I can see many blogs regarding Kia's next models including the sub-4m SUV and Carnival!
A brilliant strategy while entering a dull market like ours.(At the time of entry)!

[Durango Dude]

As I have said before, I think Kia/Hyundai can take on Maruti and topple the king with Hyundai taking care of bottom rung and Kia going upmarket, instead of competing with each other in India. Maruti hasn't realized it's full potential yet and despite being the market leader doesn't even have the will to give India a "Swift Sport" 1.6, which would have had a dream run. If it doesn't wake up and bring the funky 'kei' cars that it reserves for the Japanese market and the Suzuki Jimny which it's so reluctant to bring to India. It will see the carpet being pulled from beneath it's feet sooner than later.

[Sebring]

The Jimny doesn't suit India, and Maruti do realize that. I have been in one, and it is really, really small. But I do agree that Indians would have lapped up the Swift Sport. Now everyone is entering the 'electric' arena, lets see how things pan out. Regarding Seltos, how is the after sales service aspect? nobody has commented so far on the Seltos thread.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Maruti hasn't realized it's full potential yet and despite being the market leader doesn't even have the will to give India a "Swift Sport" 1.6, which would have had a dream run. If it doesn't wake up and bring the funky 'kei' cars that it reserves for the Japanese market and the Suzuki Jimny which it's so reluctant to bring to India. It will see the carpet being pulled from beneath it's feet sooner than later.

[vj123]

Kia hit the market with the right vehicle which reflects in the overall sales report. It would be interesting to see how the numbers stabilizes after 6 or 8 months once the initial buzz settles down.

I hope Kia (management & dealers) do not let success get into their head and ruin customer experience in the coming days.

[vibbs]

Very impressive. Kia has some cool sedans as well that will make good sense in India if Seltos holds on to it's numbers.

[thirumalkumaran]

My opinion is, KIA not only hit the right spot, but also the right variant list and distribution.

One of my friend, was looking for option to buy a diesel mid size SUV within 12L on road, Bangalore. The major options are only Creta and Duster. duster was removed from list as it was old, and Creta was terribly priced. Moreover, a 1.6 diesel starts at above 13.5OTR, BLR.

After looking at KIA HTE, and the uncompromising features, Like all around discs, a good MID, steering mounted controls etc, made him to book it immediately, I believe the VFM satisfaction KIA gives to buyer, seems to overrun the uncertainties like new brand, new engine, service issues, reliability etc...

[Karthik Chandra]

Kia had started off with a bang. Kudos to them for having done their homework. They have invested in a huge facility and they are here to stay.

They launched a product in the right segment and loaded it to the brim. Seltos is by no means cheap and moving out 12K+ copies is commendable in sluggish market conditions.

They made the right decision to offer variety. With only one model on sale currently they've ensured they cater to a varied range of customers from 11.5 to 20 lacs.

1. 3 engines options
2. 3 different transmissions
3. 18 variants
4. 8 colours
5. 3 dual tone options

Hyundai & Kia together have 22% market share. Hyundai has always had capacity constraints hampering it's quest to grow volumes. Now that issue will be sorted with i20 production moving to Kia plant. With that sorted & Kia's new launches that market share is bound to grow northwards

MSIL will eventually be challenged

[sri_tesla]

Originally Posted by ajmat

An example is the Tesla 3, in August it was the UK's 3rd best selling car. It does not make it the 3rd largest brand. The fact is that Tesla most probably fulfilled most of its UK bookings in running a large batch. Come September, no sign of Tesla in the top 10

Tesla Model 3 story in UK is not comparable to kia here. Tesla tries to deliver almost all the cars the it makes in particular quarter in the same quarter itself. To achieve that the cars they produce in first 1-2 months of quarter will be sent to Europe and 2nd 3rd month production will cater to domestic (US) market. Shipped cars will take few weeks to reach Europe. That’s why you will see more model 3 deliveries in most of the Europe in 2nd and 3rd month of the quarter. It’s not just UK. Same in Norway, Netherlands and other European countries.

Kia can easily maintain the top 5 position in 2020 than they are now, as they are planning to launch one car every 6 months. Top 5 needs just 12 to 13K per month which can be achieved easily if compact SUV sees decent success.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by sri_tesla

Tesla Model 3 story in UK is not comparable to kia here.
Kia can easily maintain the top 5 position in 2020 than they are now, as they are planning to launch one car every 6 months. Top 5 needs just 12 to 13K per month which can be achieved easily if compact SUV sees decent success.

I agree with you but it is not really fair to call Kia the No 5th largest brand until it has proven itself over a sustained period!

[dksv]

KIA has done a lot of things right so far. It's no surprise they're reaping the rewards.

- What KIA is doing with Seltos is they're showcasing their engineering and technology prowess by offering 3 engines, petrol and diesel, with MT and 3 different AT options, all with stellar refinements

- Excellent distribution of features across 18 variants. A majority of the variants appear VFM at their respective price points

- A wide price spectrum, from 12lacs to 20lacs, covers a large customer base

- BS6 compliant engines from Day 1, everybody gets the next-gen engine

- Connected car technology

- Treating India as an important market for them

- A wide dealer network across Tier 1, 2 & 3 cities for a new entrant

- A very close connect with the Indian customer expectations at this price range; this is where their market research shows

- Handing out test drives before announcing the prices. This is actually a brilliant strategy that I've also seen American Express follow. I was given an AMEX card that carried a lot of benefits for a 1yr test drive. I was not told how much fees I would be charged the 2nd year onwards. They called and announced the fees in the 11th month of my test drive - it was not cheap but I was already spoiled by the benefits of the card which made me continue using its services.
This must have favoured them at least for the initial 10k-15k bookings.

- Providing a peek into their roadmap of launching 1 car every 6 months over the next 2-3 years. This news itself instills a lot of confidence in the customer for the new brand and their long term vision for the Indian market.

[Avenger_123]

Originally Posted by AnandB

Hopefully they launch a model above Seltos as the 20-30 lac range is missing good Suvs. The price difference going from Seltos and Suvs like Fortuner/Kodiaq is huge. Only one i can think of is Tuscon and even with awesome diesel engine feels dated in features and interiors.

Completely agree with that, hoping for a decent 3 row SUV between the Seltos and bigger rivals like Fortuner. The bigger wheelbase version of Setos launched recently in China is a good bet.

[vinair]

Talk about market maturity! It's a double edged sword in my opinion!

When Hyundai entered the Indian market, the name was just unheard of and not sure how many even knew about the Koreans like we knew about other countries (American, German or the Japanese). I only wonder how hard the Hyundai marketing team should have worked to get the people's imagination and trust to invest in a rather odd looking product (First ge Santro was a really weird looking small hatch of its time!). Hats off to the public who bet their money on Hyundai and full marks to Hyundai for never letting anything get past their trust, it was a steep climb to the company and its for nothing these guys enjoy the number 2 spot in the most demanding market ever!!

Coming to Kia, again, things have turned almost 360 degrees now!! The mass market is very very informed and does not care a hoot to even the most established players in the segment anymore! When an average joe is already spoilt for choices, here comes not just another model but a whole new company!! Kia! sure these guys had massive learning material from Hyundai and man! these guys have really really readthrough all the material to the last dot!! Kia for sure knew how the market dynamics have changed over a period of time and if it has to succeed, it better come with the best of its players hitting a six in not just a over but in a every ball!!

I just love the aggressiveness of these Koreans (have experienced this first hand in Suwon during an official visit that necessitated working with some very experienced old timers of a electronics giant!) and also the agility, example the introduction of an auto box in the top version of the turbo model of Seltos within months of launch and going purely on customer feedback and want!!

These guys are here to stay and I am really really happy to see Maruti being kicked out of its number one spot one day!!!

[Superleggera]

I agree to most of your points here , but I still feel that the top end and Automatic variants of Seltos are overpriced and not a VFM. It will be difficult for them to sustain the growth unless they bring VFM Automatics which is the future.

[drmohitg]

Excellent figures attained by Kia. That is how you enter a new market. And I am so happy that they have tasted success even if in few months the numbers may settle to around 9-10k. This just reiterates what we have been asking our other car makers all along. Automatic options with good gearboxes and not AMT, and then to provide all safety and comfort features in the top end AT combinations even if it means the prices are higher for those variants. But they never listened. It was always either no Automatic options or give them in lower variants etc.

Kia understood this huge deficit and gave us a completely packed and loaded SUV with AT combinations in both petrol and diesel.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Jagann13

This is a part of his final year project indeed. "Strategy to be followed while entering the Indian Market- Kia Motors, an example" is the project's title.

KIA is atleast 5 years too late to the scene, that was a phenomenal blunder, they should've been here 2015, with their version of i20 the Rio, their version of i10 the Picanto and Soul, around the time Maruti brought their Baleno. Then the Seltos and Optima would've rounded out the premium segment. They would've been a top 3 player today with ease and had an edge over TATA, Honda, Ford etc before their cars like Amaze, Aspire, Figo, City, Nexon etc. With Hyundai's support it was indeed possible.

Today most people (including myself) are least interested in cars or driving, its become a burden to own and run, prices of fuel are high and same goes for maintenance and acquisition costs. Car ownership will be on a decline from now for sure, maybe 3, 4 years left at this rate of sales for India to become completely clogged and a biohazard.

That being said, as an early risk taker on a Korean car, with everyone saying we'd made a mistake, I saw that no other brand was offering what they did at that price (or any price) and yet were humble but cut-throat in a market where the Japanese sat with arrogance and take it or leave it attitude, their polularity forced every manufacturer to change their game and offer more for less or pack it up and leave. KIA will do the same, a 1-2 punch to say the least.

Japan and Korea are long lost cousins (both have overlapping genes) , they are equally high tech and equally competitive, Japan just got dominant earlier and had to succumb to mediocrity early as well (its a cycle). Hyundai and Kia did do one thing right, they looked to the Germans, valued quality over in-house work force and I've no doubt that their ultimate goal is to topple everyone globally and they will.