Kia Motors in India

georgev · 13th April 2010, 20:00

Kia SUV.s are way ahead of thier cars. both Hyundai & Kia are sisters, still KIA a bit cheaper. Almost all models of Hyundai & KIA share the engines and parts , with diffrent names and looks.Being the owner of KIA for last 18 months , thier SUV.s had improved over the years. I think they have a ex-audi designer to pen those curves

check out the UAE web site here :::KIA MOTORS:::

Grafin · 13th April 2010, 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgev

Kia SUV.s are way ahead of thier cars. both Hyundai & Kia are sisters, still KIA a bit cheaper. Almost all models of Hyundai & KIA share the engines and parts , with diffrent names and looks.Being the owner of KIA for last 18 months , thier SUV.s had improved over the years. I think they have a ex-audi designer to pen those curves

Saying Kia suvs are better than their cars is probably like saying pneumonia is better than jaundice

Jokes apart, how would you rate them on the VFM factor?

agbenny · 13th April 2010, 22:21

Kia's designs are much more better that its Korean counter part. There are are some beautiful designs from them like
Sorento
Forte
Rio5
Soul
It should come to India, sharing the Hyundai network is one good option they should consider to spread quickly.

rjalihal · 13th April 2010, 22:38

Kia has a presence in some of our neighboring countries. Its a cheaper alternative to the Hyundai. there is no harm in Kia entering the Indian market. That way, Hyundai can capture a larger percentage of the market. This will be identical to Skoda-VW-Audi. A car in every price range. It will be a win-win situation for us!

Snowman79 · 14th April 2010, 09:18

ive driven kia cars abroad. and i think it will be great to see them in india. theyre quality levels are pretty good and u cannot beat their prices. these things will even undercut hyundais - which is brilliant. also i think someone may have already mentioned. kia suvs are brilliant!

georgev · 14th April 2010, 12:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grafin

Saying Kia suvs are better than their cars is probably like saying pneumonia is better than jaundice

Jokes apart, how would you rate them on the VFM factor?

yeah...what i meant is thier car.s are yet to change (we are seeing the chage now in the new models incl. ceranto) in tech and looks where as the SUV.s are already better compared to the old generation KIA.s.(keeping thier off road capabilities apart )

KIA.s good value for money,(same with Hyundai) after all owning one changed my view on the Korean products. similar jap SUV.s cost double , also same in service & spare part costs also.Tucson & Sportage tops the sales charts in small SUV.s in UAE (recession must have also helped in this case)

praveen_n · 14th April 2010, 12:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grafin

Saying Kia suvs are better than their cars is probably like saying pneumonia is better than jaundice

Jokes apart, how would you rate them on the VFM factor?

I am using a Kia Mohave for the past 3 months and For the price that I paid its a very decent/capable SUV.The engine is a v6 from Hyundai the same used in veracruz.
I did check almost all the SUV's in that price range before finalizing for KIA.
The other SUV's that I found comfortable in that price range was a mercury mountainer , ford explorer and Mazda c7.

Grafin · 15th April 2010, 01:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by praveen_n

I am using a Kia Mohave for the past 3 months and For the price that I paid its a very decent/capable SUV.The engine is a v6 from Hyundai the same used in veracruz.
I did check almost all the SUV's in that price range before finalizing for KIA.
The other SUV's that I found comfortable in that price range was a mercury mountainer , ford explorer and Mazda c7.

Kia sounds reasonable, but then again thats its USP, its only selling point.

How is the plastic quality compared to the others in the same category?

Nitin · 15th April 2010, 01:58

Stay away from Kia- that's my advice! Atleast in the US market, this has been a big mistake to invest in a car from the Kia stable.I could kick myself silly all over again, having made the blunder of getting a Kia Optima as the 2nd family sedan.The car was ok, but resale value was zilch! Some of the newer ones look nice, like the Forte and the new Sorrento & Sportage.
It might do well in India, though.Can't really stipulate much there.

.anshuman · 15th April 2010, 10:57

There is no concrete information on Kia coming to india yet. The Kia cars have been spotted around Kokata might be headed towards either Nepal or Bhutan. No pictures have been posted to support the claim.

Some time back a fellow BHPian posted pictures of Daihatsu cars testing in another thread, later the cars were reported to be headed to our neighbouring countries.

praveen_n · 15th April 2010, 11:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grafin

Kia sounds reasonable, but then again thats its USP, its only selling point.

How is the plastic quality compared to the others in the same category?

Plastic wuality is on par with other vehicles in the same catagory.
That being said there is not much of difference between KIA and Hyundai.
Even the maps/electrics on Mohave is from Hyundai Autonet

vikramvicky1984 · 15th April 2010, 14:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman

There is no concrete information on Kia coming to india yet. The Kia cars have been spotted around Kokata might be headed towards either Nepal or Bhutan. No pictures have been posted to support the claim.

Some time back a fellow BHPian posted pictures of Daihatsu cars testing in another thread, later the cars were reported to be headed to our neighbouring countries.

+1
kia is very popular in Nepal..i had also seen lots of new cars in nepal beariing printed numbers Wb 20 XXXX ..Maybe kolkata port is used for importing them

shatrughna · 15th April 2010, 23:50

Kia! Its an economical range of cars and its not that bad. There are few models running on dubai roads too alongwith Hyundai's Verna(Accent).

georgev · 16th April 2010, 13:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grafin

Kia sounds reasonable, but then again thats its USP, its only selling point.

How is the plastic quality compared to the others in the same category?

i think regarding plastics Mahindra should learn from these Koreans. the body plastics on earlier Scorpio looks so bad and uneven .

CHEAP is what selling KIA.s

MaserQ · 16th April 2010, 14:23

Kia may not be big in the US, but the same goes for Suzuki as well. Kia, if introduced in India, will be made by Hyundai. So while brand value and recall might be a problem, quality should not be an issue.

Hyundai did miss a trick by not introducing the affordable Kia Sportage SUV in the mid to late 90s. The Sumo used to rule the MUV market then, till the Qualis came along. The Scorpio and Tavera were not even around then.

A stripped down Kia Sportage with 7 seat configuration could have taken on the then nascent MUV market, while a fully loaded version could have taken the fight to the bigger Safari. Not to mention a whole decade of building solid brand value in the Indian market.

Might be a bit late in the day for Kia to make a mark in India now.

13th April 2010, 20:00	#16
georgev BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: KL-05 Posts: 233 Thanked: 7 Times	Kia SUV.s are way ahead of thier cars. both Hyundai & Kia are sisters, still KIA a bit cheaper. Almost all models of Hyundai & KIA share the engines and parts , with diffrent names and looks.Being the owner of KIA for last 18 months , thier SUV.s had improved over the years. I think they have a ex-audi designer to pen those curves check out the UAE web site here :::KIA MOTORS::: Last edited by georgev : 13th April 2010 at 20:03.
	() Thanks

13th April 2010, 22:21	#18
agbenny Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: TN38 Posts: 1,069 Thanked: 276 Times	Kia's designs are much more better that its Korean counter part. There are are some beautiful designs from them like Sorento Forte Rio5 Soul It should come to India, sharing the Hyundai network is one good option they should consider to spread quickly.
	() Thanks

13th April 2010, 22:38	#19
rjalihal BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 713 Thanked: 100 Times	Kia has a presence in some of our neighboring countries. Its a cheaper alternative to the Hyundai. there is no harm in Kia entering the Indian market. That way, Hyundai can capture a larger percentage of the market. This will be identical to Skoda-VW-Audi. A car in every price range. It will be a win-win situation for us!
	() Thanks

14th April 2010, 09:18	#20
Snowman79 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 45 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	ive driven kia cars abroad. and i think it will be great to see them in india. theyre quality levels are pretty good and u cannot beat their prices. these things will even undercut hyundais - which is brilliant. also i think someone may have already mentioned. kia suvs are brilliant!
	() Thanks

15th April 2010, 01:58	#24
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Stay away from Kia- that's my advice! Atleast in the US market, this has been a big mistake to invest in a car from the Kia stable.I could kick myself silly all over again, having made the blunder of getting a Kia Optima as the 2nd family sedan.The car was ok, but resale value was zilch! Some of the newer ones look nice, like the Forte and the new Sorrento & Sportage. It might do well in India, though.Can't really stipulate much there.
	() Thanks

15th April 2010, 10:57	#25
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,064 Times View My Garage	There is no concrete information on Kia coming to india yet. The Kia cars have been spotted around Kokata might be headed towards either Nepal or Bhutan. No pictures have been posted to support the claim. Some time back a fellow BHPian posted pictures of Daihatsu cars testing in another thread, later the cars were reported to be headed to our neighbouring countries. Last edited by .anshuman : 15th April 2010 at 11:01.
	() Thanks

15th April 2010, 23:50	#28
shatrughna BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 894 Thanked: 68 Times	Kia! Its an economical range of cars and its not that bad. There are few models running on dubai roads too alongwith Hyundai's Verna(Accent).
	() Thanks

16th April 2010, 14:23	#30
MaserQ Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,196 Thanked: 166 Times	Kia may not be big in the US, but the same goes for Suzuki as well. Kia, if introduced in India, will be made by Hyundai. So while brand value and recall might be a problem, quality should not be an issue. Hyundai did miss a trick by not introducing the affordable Kia Sportage SUV in the mid to late 90s. The Sumo used to rule the MUV market then, till the Qualis came along. The Scorpio and Tavera were not even around then. A stripped down Kia Sportage with 7 seat configuration could have taken on the then nascent MUV market, while a fully loaded version could have taken the fight to the bigger Safari. Not to mention a whole decade of building solid brand value in the Indian market. Might be a bit late in the day for Kia to make a mark in India now.
	() Thanks