[Jagann13]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

KIA is at least 5 years too late to the scene, that was a phenomenal blunder, they should've been here 2015...

Yeah! Kia may be a little late. I will show my brother this thread, it is quite interesting and has some points for his work as well.

Though coming in late, they are at the correct place and slot. Anyone in India, looking for a car in the 15-20L segment at the moment will consider Seltos as an option. Picking it or not, people will think of the car for once. Also, anyone who needs an upgrade from a C-segment will have the Seltos in their long list. I have also read on the same in some of the threads here.

Also, considering the fact that Citroen is about to arrive, Kia is not that late!

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Jagann13

Also, considering the fact that Citroen is about to arrive, Kia is not that late!

Citroen has always been a niche player in most markets, they haven't even entered U.S, domination isn't their forte and they're happy making some money. Hyundai Group is domination oriented, They've now toppled GM to be number 3, the only 2 players ahead of them have a lot more sub-brands and are strong in Europe, Middle East & U.S, Toyota and VW and even their days are numbered.

KIA was literally asleep when they could've filled up the premium gaps left by Hyundai in the Santa Fe, Sonata segment (fighting against Europeans like VW and Skoda) and then bringing direct competition to Hyundai in the hatchback, small sedan and small SUV segment would've caused a great sales boost where Maruti dominated for over 5 years with their 1-2 punch of Swift+Baleno, Honda with City and Toyota with Innova +Fortuner. Easy loss of a million units sale.

KIA is late to the game, vehicular markets are on a downswing worldwide and will correct itself soon, Ford and Honda are already nosediving globally, VW is sustaining due to having a dozen brands but its bubble will burst too. Electric cars packing a lithium ion bomb underneath them will soon come into fashion and manufacturers are already accounting for massive losses on investment, existing R&D and floor restructuring, etc thus collaborating with each other like never before (Toyota-Suzuki, Citroen PSA-FCA, Mercedes-BMW, BMW-Toyota) to reduce costs on joint platform, electric, 5G, AI based vehicles (aka boring).

I'm out of the car enthusiast scene, most are joining me. Some sales are happening due to the up and coming middle class with high aspiration but they too will wake up soon once they burn through their desires of cleaning, washing, filling up petrol and enduring service center tantrums like we have.

[rahultandon]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Can we discuss what clicked for Kia in India! For me it was the massive, overwhelmingly classy showrooms and very presentable staff that was welcoming. Suddenly they were everywhere, North, South, East & West Bangalore, all screamed Kia. It was also their choice of category (Creta), that 'killed it'! So welcome Kia, you've done a great job, and may you continue to enthrall us - in the years to come.

Well my experience was not very pleasant, I visited the showroom, asked for test drive but there was no MT Petrol Variant available(they have 2 PE Model both Automatic). This was not fair as majority of the consumers prefer MT. As a solution, the sales person offered test drive of Diesel Variant(this wasn't a very apt solution considering that I won't be able to judge car performance). Still I agreed for Diesel Variant test drive, waited for 30 Minutes after which sales person came and conveyed that DE Variant is also not available.

Again as a solution I was offered test drive at home but till date(its been almost 20 days) there has been no update, no call, no test drive.

[varman742]

Great show by KIA and certainly the prospects look very bright for them. With new products lined up, am sure that there will be healthy numbers in the coming months. However its too early to predict the position as:
1. KIA is having strong backlog and we need to see the numbers once the backlog is cleared
2. Other manufacturers are attempting to reduce inventory due to BS6 transition so true picture will be known post Apr 2020.

[coolkurt]

Originally Posted by rahultandon

Well my experience was not very pleasant.

Neither was mine. That was after I had settled for the HTX+ and all i wanted was to have a test drive of the diesel variant. No one at the showroom bothered to attend to me. It was pretty chaotic at the showroom. Got a test drive after waiting for 40 mins and as soon as I started driving, the SA repeatedly told me that a lot of people are waiting so this much is enough, forcing me to take the next U turn back to the showroom.

I'd decided on the Hector. Then thought it was a bit too big for Delhi. Switched to Seltos. After the experience, went back to the MG showroom. Loved the attention and experience. Finalized the Hector.

But like Hyundai, Kia customers are clear what they want. Dealership experience is not great at both. But the car is worth buying. So in the bigger picture, it doesn't matter.

[The Observer]

Good job to Kia and team for starting with a bang. Now let us see over a year or more how they will sustain this or better themselves. Going by sales of a few initial months is too soon to stamp KIA as a "5th largest brand" - though it definitely is showing tremendous positive intent.

I am sure KIA alone is not responsible for this initial success, i am certain Hyundai as its parent would have given KIA a lot of useful insights into the Indian market, psyche of the customers, dealers, what clicks (Creta) and what does not (Eon) for eg., True example of collaborative success that is almost only a cliche in many organizations.

Lots to learn for the others - especially everyone in the top 10 and soon to come brands.

[CARDEEP]

This is a stupendous achievement... could not have been timed better & with better product. They had a product in a segment that could build a brand with more than sufficient variants.

It had advantage of BS6 products as the competitors were clearing BS4 inventories. And vehicle has lived upto reputation IMO.

Add to this, I feel entry of Kia in India was appropriately planned in South Korea, for I believe if they had entered few years earlier they would have remained a Maruti-Suzuki competitor for masses, but now even BHP-ians believe they can be placed a segment higher than Hyundai (which had to slug it out 2 decades ago).

I hope they launch modern yet inoffensive products products (unlike the new Optima & sister Hyundai's current design philosophy) & they will be rewarded with numbers similar to Hyundai. Yes, days of Maruti-Suzuki's 50% dominance are going to be over soon & it is better if sold to Toyota.

Coming to Kia as a successful business in India, it instills confidence to the top management to keep it's promise of introducing newer vehicles as the bigger MOM numbers are good monetary incentive for testing & promoting/ introducing new vehicles.

This is unlike the top Japanese Auto majors who are still clueless under Indian management & have put all eggs in one basket (read platform) & now are suffering due to the consequences of the same.

I would conclude that history is repeating itself after 2 decades with the entry of sister brand in our country.

[SideView]

Well done Kia.

Even at this period of muted vehicle sales they are able to sell record numbers.

Shows that good vehicles no matter what would sell. Next up is to keep it up with good after sales.

[VJ05]

Kia and somewhat MG's success is a template for new entrants in the Indian market to follow. It's simple - launch a good looking SUV, throw in lots and lots of features, price it right and put all your might in the Marketing and there you go, you have the Killer Product. Follow up with good after-sales service to keep the brand image and momentum.

[nishsingh]

Pretty sure it is due to the amazing Seltos, but (just for entertainments sake), there might be a couple of other factors at play -

1. The 'K' factor: the Kia Name starts with K - this is a pretty positive thing according to numerology. (Just ask Ekta Kapoor and Rajesh Roshan).

2. Indians like the zing of the word "Kia" - Just like Nokia and Ikea.

[RaghuVis]

Originally Posted by VJ05

Kia and somewhat MG's success is a template for new entrants in the Indian market to follow. It's simple - launch a good looking SUV, throw in lots and lots of features, price it right and put all your might in the Marketing and there you go, you have the Killer Product. Follow up with good after-sales service to keep the brand image and momentum.

wow!! it sure seems very simple. Blindly anyone can do it then I guess

[rahultandon]

Originally Posted by SideView

Well done Kia.

Even at this period of muted vehicle sales they are able to sell record numbers.

Shows that good vehicles no matter what would sell. Next up is to keep it up with good after sales.

Its more to do with launch newness and not only about "good vehicles". The players who had new launched cars in the kitty saw growth like KIA with Seltos and Renault with Triber and Kwid.

[SideView]

Originally Posted by rahultandon

Its more to do with launch newness and not only about "good vehicles". The players who had new launched cars in the kitty saw growth like KIA with Seltos and Renault with Triber and Kwid.

I slightly disagree, take for eg Harrier also a new launch but sadly not setting the charts on fire.

Whereas Seltos is a well researched product and catering to what the users want ( eg:automatic that too multiple variants)

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by SideView

I slightly disagree, take for eg Harrier also a new launch but sadly not setting the charts on fire.

Whereas Seltos is a well researched product and catering to what the users want ( eg:automatic that too multiple variants)

Well the Harrier too had generated enormous interest at the time of launch. As the days past, the flip side of the vehicle became more evident and the market began losing interest sooner and faster.

It has only been a few months since the SELTOS is up for sale and certain time is indeed needed for the market to stabilize before the product can be adjudged on its merits. Quality, Reliability, Durability etc., are few aspects that get discovered only with time.

KIA sharing its traits with Hyundai, has already set the expectations high. Given the legacy of Korean products, the chances of KIA failing are too far.

[tejas.negandhi]

Kia is a good brand and the products are quite good. I haven't driven the Seltos but definitely driven their Sportage and Sorento. These cars are really well built and shows the brand is a capable one. Kia products are reliable and slightly more stylish than Hyundai.

It has some good products in their bucket which can be very good for Indian market like
1. Kia Rio (sedan and Hatch) - These can compete with Dzire, Amaze, Etios, etc in sedan and I20 & Swift in hatch
2. Kia Cerato - Good competitor for Honda City, Verna, etc.
3. Kia Carnival is a very good MuV and can challenge Innova in the tours and travel business

If Kia and Hyundai can leverage their partnership they can do very good in India.