[TusharK]

Kia Sonet sales have surpassed the 4 lakh unit mark. The carmaker achieved the new milestone in just under 44 months. 3,17,754 units of the Sonet were sold in the domestic market, while an additional 85,814 units were exported.



According to Kia, 63% of customers opted for the variants equipped with a sunroof. The majority of customers chose the petrol version (63%), while 37% of the customers opted for the diesel.

The sales figures also reflect consumer preference shifting towards automatic variants. Sales of the 7-speed DCT version of the Sonet have grown by 37.50% since its launch in 2020. Overall, automatic transmissions, which include the 7-speed DCT and 6-speed AT, contribute 28%, while the iMT makes up 23% of the total sales of the Sonet.

Recently, Kia introduced new entry and mid variants of the Sonet. The compact SUV is now available in four new HTE (O) and HTK (O) variants in Diesel and Petrol engine options. While the HTE(O) gets a sunroof, HTK(O) offers a sunroof along with LED Connected Taillamps, Fully Automatic Temperature Control (FATC) and Rear Defogger.

Link to Team-BHP news

[bijims]

For a car with loads of features, good performance, great service, big boot space and loads of choices with Manual, Automatic, IMT in Petrol or Diesel, good engine and gearbox combos (1.5L Diesel TC AT, 1.0 Turbo-Petrol DCT), The Sonet ticks most of the boxes if you want a sub 4 metre SUV, with the only thing lacking is the space at the rear. A good NCAP score will be the cherry on top. Still, with the Carens' recent 3-star safety rating for adult occupant protection albeit 5-star for rear occupants, I don't think the Sonet would fare any better unless Kia has done something about it in the facelift.

Anyways Kia has taken the market by storm and has been in the top 5 on the sales charts almost since launch (2019), they continue to evolve with better facelifts (Seltos 2.0, Sonet facelift etc) and timely updates with launches according to the customer needs a spacious 7-seater in the Carens, upcoming Clavis etc.

They have constantly updated their cars with features the market is after like sunroofs, ADAS etc, which has helped them sustain their market share. Hopefully, they continue their customer-centric approach and provide us with more competitive products and updates in the years to come.

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by bijims

They have constantly updated their cars with features the market is after like sunroofs, ADAS etc, which has helped them sustain their market share. Hopefully, they continue their customer-centric approach and provide us with more competitive products and updates in the years to come.

So true, I was in India for few days and my father and uncle were in the market to buy cars, we went to Toyota, Maruti, then to Hyundai, these were their go-to brands, they didn’t want to try any other brand and were sceptical about Tata and Mahindra.Tried to convince them for EV, but after a short 10/15 mins drive only they were reluctant and overwhelmed with so many details. I told them to have a look at Kia, to which they were reluctant (totally unknown name for both of them), but finally I convinced them, at first sight only I liked the Sonet somehow in Matt black color and I have always hated cars with rear drum brakes, but this car had all disc brakes, I was sold to this car, convinced my father and uncle to buy and today (few months down the line) they are proud owners of AT Matt black and other AT cherry color, both petrol. I don’t know if that’s called as cherry color.

So yes, I can say the cars I saw on those 3/4 days, Kia Sonet came as number one loaded with all kind of safety features and gizmos, in the price range we were looking for. Probably Kia has caught Indian pulse and I’m not surprised with their sale figures

[ssoni.1411]

Kia really did their homework well and launched the cars with all gizmos and gearbox combinations. If Kia manages to get 4 star safety rating, the numbers are going to grow more and more. Kudos to them for entering the market and smashing with their products, a perfect case study for other OEMs.

[Evyas]

I'm not surprised at all. At that price-point, the number of features the car offers is pretty unbeatable. And IMHO the safety ratings being 4* or any other won't matter since it hasn't mattered till now for someone looking at a KIA.

A minuscule minority of us look at safety ratings as a primary driver of a car buying decision and the numbers speak for themselves as to how that is impacting sales. Just buying a car is a big decision for most people so if a 5* rated car is more expensive most won't be able to decide in its favour. What I do find admirable is that they have made 6 airbags mandatory on even their base model. So a top-of-the-line petrol manual Kia Sonet can be bought at approx 11L OTR in Mumbai. That's an outstanding price for someone looking for just a car as a means of transport, not enthusiast level. 8 years ago my Duster cost me that much and it had 2 airbags and (though I wasn't aware then) not a great safety rating either.

[Amrit@wheels]

My favorite Korean car on sale right now! It is such a well-rounded product that has something for everyone. Recently drove a 1.0 DCT facelift and boy, I was impressed! I just wish they had focused on the safety aspect as well. It feels cheaply built compared to the likes of XUV300 and Nexon.

[theAutomaniac]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Kia Sonet sales have surpassed the 4 lakh unit mark. The carmaker achieved the new milestone in just under 44 months. 3,17,754 units of the Sonet were sold in the domestic market, while an additional 85,814 units were exported.

Why include export numbers in a celebratory ad? This feels like a marketing gimmick in times when the car is losing sales consistently and hasn't been in news even with a facelift.

IIRC, the Sonet used to consistently do 10-15k sales in its initial years and especially since the launch of updated Brezza, Nexon, and Fronx, the sales numbers have never really gone above 6-8k and even the XUV300 outsells it in some months.

For a car that comes with 3 engine options, 3-4 different gearboxes and loads of trendy features, these numbers are awful.

Truth being, there's nothing that goes in Sonet's favor except for the long list of features. The engines are nothing special, dynamics aren't very good and the below average safety does a big damage, especially in a segment where most cars are rated 4 and more.

The facelift helped it go to 11k in January but that's about it. For the past two months, sales have once again dropped to 8-9k. and with Mahindra's changed reputation as a premium carmaker and the availability of panaromic sunroof and new tech on the upcoming XUV3XO, I won't be surprised if Sonet sales drop even further!

Hyunda-Kia should really update these two cars with new generation models with better space and safety instead of solely relying on long feature lists.

[sunilarkt]

While buying a car last month, I did a test drive the Sonet. It is a perfect city car with a once-in-a-while highway run. I ended up buying seltos (need 3 comfortable seats at the back), but I would have no hesitation in picking Sonet if I don't need a full-fledged 5-seater. I hope Kia tests Sonet and Seltos soon for BNCAP and gets that safety monkey off their shoulders.*