Kia

Brand Overview 

Kia’s traces of forming go back to 1944 when the company was named the Kyungsung Precision Industry, specializing in manufacturing steel bicycle components. For the time being, Kia Motors, officially known as Kia Motors Corporation, is a part of the dynamic, global Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. From its humble starting point as making bicycles and motorcycles, Kia Motor is now Korea’s second-largest manufacturer with its annual producing capacity of over 3 million units and valued at $6.4 billion by 2019. This company has expanded its business to five countries, and specially set foot in the Indian auto market since 2019 with a signed memorandum to build an India-based manufacturing plant.

Headquartered in Seoul, Korea, Kia Motors has around 14 manufacturing and assembly facilities across five countries with a network of 3000 dealers and distributors around 172 countries. In India, there are a total of 105 Kia dealerships spreading out across 74 cities, and an assembly plant located in Anantapur District, is under construction.

Kia Motors has been credited for its notable exclusive technologies for enhancing safety and performance. Those which should be named include Hybrid and electric powertrain, the ASCC radar sensor combined with LDWS camera, air pressure TPMS monitors, the Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) and the Lane Departure Warning System.

Interesting facts about Kia Motors

- Logo meaning: The Kia logo features a text-based oval that encircles the company’s name, Kia. Impressively, the letter “A” is stylized with the loss of its horizontal bar, which reflects the idea of minimalism and simplicity.

- Sales unit: According to the 2019 sales report, Kia Motors announced that its global sales totaled over 972 thousand units, of which more than 57 thousand units were sold in the Indian automobiles market.

Kia cars

There are 2 car models - an SUV and a MUV - available in India. By 2020-2022, Kia will launch 9 models comprising 2 Sedans, 4 SUV, 2 Hatchback and 1 MUV. Here are the tables compiling the ongoing and upcoming models in India.

Ongoing models

Upcoming models

Popular models in India 

Kia Seltos

The Kia Seltos is the first car that the automaker offered to the Indian market, and it first showed up as the SP Concept at the 2018 Auto Expo. It was embodied in two trims – Tech Line and GT Line, both of which have different variants accordingly. Both trims of the Kia Seltos have an edgy and sporty body with an angular silhouette. While the GT Line is tempting to the young with the dynamic design featuring an all-black cabin and sporty looking bumper, the Tech Line is targeted to upper-class customers with a plush and premium appearance featuring a dual-tone black-and-beige cabin.

Kia has properly invested in the Seltos with a host of fancy features including an ambient lighting system, an air purifier, an 8-inch head-up display and a Kia’s UVO-connected 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Also, it has been loaded with all the bells and whistles such as sports ventilated front seats, an eight-speaker Bose sound system and a smart-key remote engine.

In terms of engine, the Seltos uses three BS6-compliant engine options: 1.5-litre diesel, 1.5-litre petrol, and 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol. The three types of engine come mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or different automatic transmission options depending on the engine. The 1.5-litre diesel and the 1.5-litre petrol engine deliver outputs of 115PS/ 250Nm and 115PS/144Nm respectively, while the 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which is only available for the GT Line trim, churns out 140PS/242Nm. Overall, the Seltos engines are suitable for both highway use and inner-city traffic thanks to its peppy acceleration and smooth gear shifts.

Also read: Kia Seltos interior spied review

Let’s refer to the prices and available variants of the Kia Seltos.

<h3> Kia Carnival

The Kia Carnival is the second offering from Kia Motors following the success of its predecessor – the Kia Seltos. The car has previously made its debut at the Auto Expo 2020. As a premium MPV, the Carnival has several refined and upmarket details such as the chrome grille inspired by Kia’s signature Tiger Nose grille, headlamps, fog lamps running lamps with LED projector units, and indicators. There are also chrome brackets installed on either end of the bumper. Regarding the interior, the Carnival possesses a spacious cabin and offers 7-, 8-, and 9-seater cabin layout options. 

There are an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 10.1-inch touchscreen display serving middle-row passengers. There are also commodity features such as dual-panel sunroof, three-zone climate control and Kia’s UVO connected system aiming to give users pleasant driving experience.

In terms of the engine, the Kia Carnival is equipped with a BS6-compliant 2.2-litre diesel engine that delivers 200PS of power and 440Nm of torque. The engine only comes with an 8-speed automatic gearbox, unlike dual options – manual and automatic - that are frequently found in other models. It is fun to drive in the city thanks to the smooth and jerk-free power delivery and a well-controlled acceleration as well.

Let’s refer to the prices and available variants of the Kia Carnival

Also read: Kia Carnival under consideration for India

Conclusion 

As its slogan “The power to surprise”, Kia has been undertaking its mission as the pioneer in introducing leading-edge technologies and creating products beyond our expectations. With its good reputation and great leaps in the automobile industry, it would not be an exaggeration when comparing Kia Motors with world-leading brands such as Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda and Nissan. Check out Indianautosblog frequently to catch up on the latest news of Kia Motors and get in-depth product reviews and comparisons.