The Kia Seltos was launched in August this year at a highly competitive price of Rs. 9.69 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The compact SUV has been a long awaited model and marked the South Korean carmaker's entry in India. While the model garnered over 32,000 bookings at the time of launch, the first sales report is out for the Kia Motors India and the brand sold 6200 units of the Seltos in its first month of sales, according to the date reported to SIAM. That's an overwhelming number for the SUV and the automaker, which has managed to outsell a number of old players including Ford and Renault.
Also Read: Comparison: Kia Seltos vs Hyundai Creta vs MG Hector vs Nissan Kicks
The Seltos impresses with its modern looks and Kia has loaded the SUV well across 16 variants
This puts Kia as the seventh largest automaker in the country behind Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra, Toyota, Honda and Tata Motors. In contrast, brands including Renault sold 5700 units last month, while Ford dispatched 5517 units during the same period. Tata dispatched 7316 units in August, which brings the gap between the Indian and the South Korean car companies to just 1116 units. That said, it needs to be seen if Kia India can hold the sales momentum in the following months.
Also Read: Kia Seltos Launched In India
The impressive volumes also come at a time when the auto industry is witnessing one of its worst sales in nearly 20 years. In August 2019, the auto industry saw over 30 per cent erosion in sales for passenger vehicles with all brands registering a negative growth. The commercial vehicle and two-wheeler sales have also seen a decline in volumes last month, as more carmakers have been forced cut down production.
Both the Kia Seltos and MG Hector are new entrants and off to a good start respectively
Amidst the turbulent times in the auto industry, the new launches have shined for most carmakers. Morris Garages or MG also commenced operations in India in June this year and is off to a good start for its compact SUV. The automaker retailed 2018 units of the MG Hector in August this year in its second month of sales. The manufacturer has currently stopped accepting bookings for the SUV as it tries to fulfil present orders. That said, MG managed to outsell brands like Nissan (1413 units) and Skoda (1164 units) last month.
Also Read: Kia Motors To Start Second Shift At Anantapur Plant To Reduce Waiting Period
The waiting period for the Kia Seltos stands between six to eight weeks with the company registering over 35,000 bookings. The automaker is ramping up production at the Anantapur facility to meet the soaring demand. The company has already confirmed that it will start the second shift at the plant soon. Bookings for the Seltos are open both online and offline.
