- To Continue with ICE and battery-powered cars
- Local assembly of the Kia EV6 is unlikely
In a recent interaction with Kia India, the company said that it is not currently considering the introduction of hybrid or CNG cars in the country. The Korean automaker with electric and power cars in India will continue its production line in India with existing powertrains and is unlikely to venture into any other alternate fuel cars.
Currently, Kia's portfolio in India includes the Sonet compact SUV, Seltos, Carens MPV, Carnival and EV6 EV. While there are plenty of CNG-powered models in the economy segment, the small and midsize SUV segments are gradually warming up to adopt CNG-powered vehicles. This change began with the recent launch of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara CNG and the introduction of the Brezza CNG at the Auto Expo 2023.
As for the the EV transition, Kia has preferred a top-down approach and already has a solid model in the form of the EV6. The Kia EV6 recently won ICOTY's Green Car of the Year award and retails at a starting price of Rs 60.95 lakh (ex-showroom). The automaker also stated that despite the launch of its DNA cousin, the Ioniq 5 (44.95 lakh, ex-showroom), the automaker will continue to import the EV6 as a Completely Built Unit (CBU). Notably, the price of the Kia electric car is higher than that of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 at Rs 16 lakh.
Besides this, Kia India also showcased the KA4 concept at the Auto Expo, which essentially is the new generation Carnival already on sale in many international markets. Kia has stated that the KA4 was only shown to gauge consumer interest and is not looking to launch the MPV in India any time soon. However, the current Kia Carnival was launched in 2020 and is scheduled for a lengthy update, suggesting that the brand will consider the new version for an Indian launch soon.
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