- Investment will be used for EV related R&D, infrastructure development and manufacturing
- Marks its entry into the Purpose Built Vehicles (PBV) segment with Carens converted into a police van and an ambulance addressing specific mobility needs of various institutions
- Announces its two long-term CSR programmes – Project DROP and Uphaar
New Delhi, January 11, 2023: Kia India, one of the fastest-growing carmakers in the country, showcased a glimpse of the future where mobility is more sustainable, innovative, and truly connected. The brand also unveiled its All-Electric SUV Concept – the Kia Concept EV9, at the 16th edition of the Auto Expo, highlighting its vision of becoming a sustainable mobility solutions provider. Shaping an innovative future, the brand showcased the Kia KA4, a luxury RV, offering sophisticated design, world-class safety, innovation, and capabilities of advanced drive dynamics. The company further announced an investment of INR 2,000 crores in India for EV related R&D, manufacturing, and infrastructure development.
The brand further announced its entry into the Purpose-Built Vehicles (PBVs) segment, addressing the unmet need of specialised institutions. The PBVs showcased at the pavilion were a police van and an ambulance based on the Carens. Kia India also commits two long-term CSR initiatives – Project DROP (Develop Responsible Outlook towards Plastic) and Project Uphaar at the 16th edition of the Auto Expo 2023.
Overall, the Kia pavilion at the Auto Expo exudes the brand’s progressive approach towards the traditional definition of mobility. Combining the investment, CSR announcements and other product showcases at its pavilion, Kia India presented its vision of creating an inspiring tomorrow, portraying a powerful brand that combines innovation and sustainability in its offerings.
Speaking on the occassion, Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director & CEO, Kia India said, “Kia has been a dynamic brand, one that has never shied away from challenging the established norms of the automotive industry. Today, the world seeks a similar attitude to counter the environmental concerns we are facing. I am glad that we are able to showcase our distinctive sustainable mobility solutions that address the ever-evolving new-age consumer’s needs, along with our vision to contribute to a greener and cleaner future thereby defining our vision of an inspiring tomorrow.”
He further added, “With the launch of EV6, we started our electrification journey in India and today, with the unveiling of the concept EV9, we are presenting our vision of the future. With KA4, we want to showcase our might in the popular UV segment, offering bold design & capability, safety and luxury, packed in one large Recreational Vehicle. With the PBVs, we once again successfully recognised an unmet need of the Indian market, offering inspiring mobility solutions for specialised institutions. So far, we have received overwhelming love and acceptance from the people of this country, and we assure them that we will remain committed to fulfilling their unmet and even unfelt mobility needs and wants.”
Key Showcases/announcements from the Kia Pavilion at the Auto Expo 2023:
The Kia Concept EV9:
With the Concept EV9, Kia previewed a future global electric SUV and was first unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2021. The vehicle will be launched in international markets in the first quarter of 2023. Conceptualized and designed at the brand’s California design studio, the Kia Concept EV9 electric SUV is bound to make heads turn. The Concept EV9 is inspired by nature and uses upcycled materials developed from waste deposited into the fragile marine ecosystem. Based on the brand’s latest design language, Opposites United, this Concept is influenced by the ‘Bold for Nature’ pillar, helping the all-electric SUV concept to take on an iconic and bold form. The Concept EV9 embodies an adventurous, outgoing, and recreational form with its rugged and upright stance. The exterior signifies a vehicle that is highly capable, practical, and ready for action. At the same time, from the side, the modernistic angular profile gives the all-electric SUV a simple but distinctive outline. With dimensions of 4,930mm length, 2,055mm width, 1,790mm height and a wheelbase of 3,100mm, the Concept EV9 embodies an aesthetically rare but visually stunning quadrilateral-like on-road presence. The vehicle’s interior is a work of true craftsmanship that lets its patrons focus on well-being and mindfulness. The interior radiates Kia’s motto of being a sustainable brand by using recycled fishnets to help create the flooring of the vehicle and recycled plastic bottles and recycled wool fibres to create seating fabric. Globally, Kia plans to gradually reduce the use of animal leather in all its vehicles.
The Kia Concept EV9 is based on the E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform), which is Kia’s EV dedicated platform, comprising the chassis of the vehicle, including the battery, motor & power electric system, and allows the company to manufacture a different kind of vehicles due to its scalable wheelbase. The platform hosts the manufacturing of EV6 currently sold in India.
About The Kia KA4
Another unveil, the Kia KA4 is a luxurious and large RV. The vehicle hosts a bold SUV-like design for an enhanced road presence. Overall, the Kia KA4 has a commanding UV stance and completely redefined exteriors, giving it a rugged look. The vehicle’s interior is designed by Kia’s California design studio, which has also built global award-winning vehicles like Telluride and the 2021 Sorento SUV. The Kia KA4 demonstrates true innovation in cargo and passenger space and seating layouts. The vehicle hosts best-in-class passenger and cargo room, including slide-flex 2nd-row seating and VIP lounge seating. The vehicle also hosts a comprehensive list of ADAS features, including Remote Smart Parking Assist, Lane Following Assist, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), and Blind-Spot Avoidance Assist (BCA), to name a few. In addition, the vehicle is offered with Dual Sunroof, 12.3″ AVNT, Wireless Smart Charging, and Multi-Bluetooth connectivity. One of the most innovative features the Kia KA4 hosts is the Rear Occupant alert. With the help of Ultra-sonic waves, the vehicle can detect passenger movement in the back after the door has been locked. Coupled with advanced driving dynamics, the Kia KA4 embodies an exceptional combination of design, capability, safety, and luxury.
About PBVs:
With the showcase of a Police car and an Ambulance based on the Carens, Kia debuts in the Purpose-built Vehicle or PBV segment, filling the need gap between the market demand for varied mobility requirements of specialised institutions. With this, Kia reaffirms its commitment towards recognising the unfulfilled requirements in mobility by offering apt solutions. The PBVs reflect changing trends in mobility where vehicles are highly customisable according to customers’ and market needs, leading to high level of customer satisfaction. The Carens modified into PBVs are designed to meet intrinsic needs for mobility on demand by offering passenger experience, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Notably, Kia is keen on the global PBV segment and aims to become a leader by 2030.
About CSR Announcements:
Globally, Kia is known for its social contribution projects focusing on the values of ‘green and free and safe movement’ for a sustainable world. Kia has been active in conducting similar CSR initiatives in and around Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. The brand has been supporting rural communities near its plant with healthcare, education, and skill development. At the 16th edition of Auto Expo 2023, Kia India announced its two long-term CSR plans, which will be conducted throughout the country.
- DROP (Develop Responsible Outlook towards Plastic): With this programme, Kia India plans to tie up with specialized NGOs and aim to collect and recycle 2,500-tonne plastic in the first phase.
- Project Uphaar: In line with its sustainability vision, the brand plans to create a social impact through afforestation. Under this project, Kia India will support farmers affected by natural disasters with the plantation of fruit trees to secure their livelihood.
Annexure: About other Kia Products at the pavilion
Kia Seltos
Kia Seltos has been the marquee product for the brand ever since its launch. The Seltos has become a part of 3.5 Lakh families in India in just a short span of over 3 Years. Recently, the brand introduced the first-in-India Intelligent Manual Transmission (iMT) technology with the 1.5 Diesel engine on the Kia Seltos HTK+ variant. Seltos offers paddle shifters along with multi-drive and traction modes for all automatic variants for a sportier and more responsive driving experience. The vehicle offers multiple safety features such as standard 6 airbags, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Brake Assist (BA), Hill Assist Control (HAC), Highline Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (Highline TPMS) and All-Wheel Disc brakes are also offered as standard on the Seltos X-Line.
Kia Sonet
Kia Sonet is a total package built to offer an enhanced driving experience, powered by a refined 1.5L Diesel engine with the first in-segment 6-speed automatic transmission. The vehicle also comes in a 1.0L Turbo Petrol engine and a 1.2L Petrol guise mated with four transmission options. Kia Sonet offers best-in-class safety features like Side Airbag and Highline Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (Highline TPMS) as standard across variants to enhance safety further. Other key safety features include Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Brake Assist (BA), and Hill Assist Control (HAC) as standard on the iMT trims. Kia Sonet offers an Advanced 10.67 cm (4.2”) Colour Instrument Cluster. Kia India has sold over 2 Lakh Sonet in India since its launch in September 2020.
Kia Carens
Kia Carens is designed to offer the most compelling value proposition for modern Indian families, packing the sophistication of a family mover and the sportiness of an SUV in one, making a combination of convenience and practicality. With three engine options mated with three transmission options, the Carens is offered in 19 trims with an exceptional fuel efficiency of 21.3 KM/L per the ARAI. The Carens comes with standard 6 Airbags along with multiple active and passive safety features under the Robust 10 Hi-Safety package as standard. The vehicle also offers one of its segment’s lowest maintenance costs of 37 paise per km.
Kia EV6
The first electric offering from Kia, the EV6, has been a game-changer in the segment. The EV6 marks the beginning of Kia’s sustainable mobility journey in the country. It offers a powerful all-electric motor of 605 nm torque for instant acceleration, a powerful battery pack with an impressive driving range of up to 708km, ultra-fast charging capabilities, and a spacious, high-tech interior. Built on Kia’s dedicated E-GMP platform, EV6 gets the latest generation of Kia’s Smart regenerative braking system that recuperates kinetic energy to maximize driving range and efficiency. The EV6 comes equipped with four regenerative braking levels. Kia EV6 is offered in India in GT-Line and GT-Line AWD and has already been delivered to 200 proud deliveries.
Kia offers a range of unique activities at Auto Expo 2023 to engage visitors. Kia designed a Wall of Fame to showcase our India story through key milestones. For the GenZ audience to offer an adrenaline rush, Kia has installed an EV6 simulator which lets the visitor experience the driving dynamics of an EV6. To showcase Kia’s CSR initiative, a smart water bottle recycling unit is installed to educate the audience on the ill effects of plastic water bottle usage. Kia has also established a selfie booth to capture the precious moments from the Kia Pavilion. A separate zone also exhibits Kia’s futuristic connected car technologies, such as Kia Connect and EV6 charging stations.
About – Kia India
In April 2017, Kia India signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, India, to build a new manufacturing facility at Anantapur District. Kia commenced mass production in August 2019 and has an annual production capacity of approximately 300,000 units. In April 2021, Kia India reimagined itself in line with its new brand identity, “Movement that Inspires” aimed at offering customers meaningful experiences backed by innovative products and services. Under the new brand identity, Kia has set out to find ways to achieve new benchmarks and inspire consumers to be more and do more. Till date, Kia India has launched five vehicles for the Indian market – the Seltos, the Carnival, the Sonet, the Carens, and the EV6. Kia India has completed over 8 lakh dispatches from its Anantapur plant, including 6.22 lakh domestic sales and over 1.78 lakh exports. With over 2.6 lakh connected cars on Indian roads, it is among the connected Car leaders in the country. The brand has a widespread network of 339 touchpoints and is focused on strengthening its footprints across the country.
#wafautoexpo23
