Kia’s Indian factory has achieved a remarkable milestone of cumulative production of 1 million vehicles in just four years.
On the 13th of this month (local time), Kia held a ‘1 Million Production Achievement Ceremony’ at its factory located in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India.
The event was attended by around 150 guests, including Andhra Pradesh’s Minister of Finance, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Minister of Industries, Gudivada Amarnath, and Tae-Jin Park, Head of Kia India, along with other state government officials and Kia employees.
Since the inauguration of its Indian plant in 2019, Kia has produced 532,450 units of the Seltos, 332,450 units of the Sonet, 120,516 units of the Carens, and 14,584 units of the Carnival, reaching a total of 1 million units on the 13th of this month.
The one-millionth vehicle produced is ‘The New Seltos’, a model with enhanced features.
Kia’s Indian plant is a complete manufacturing facility covering approximately 2.16 million square meters, consisting of stamping, body, painting, assembly, and engine plants, with an annual maximum production capacity of 350,000 units.
Kia signed an investment agreement with the Andhra Pradesh state government for the establishment of the Indian plant in April 2017, started construction in October of the same year, and began production of the Seltos in July 2019.
Kia has streamlined its operations with a 100% recycling system for industrial water, robotic automation, and an automatic recognition system for vehicle models and specifications using smart tags. Additionally, they implemented a robotic monitoring system in the painting plant to detect equipment anomalies early, integrating various smart technologies.
To celebrate the achievement of 1 million units produced at the Indian plant, Kia also held a vision declaration ceremony for Kia India.
During this event, Kia announced its goal to increase its market share in India from approximately 6.7% in the first half of this year to 10% in the future through the ‘Kia 2.0’ strategy.
To achieve this, Kia plans to expand its production lineup and double the number of its sales points from about 300 in 215 cities across India as of the end of June.
Kia opened the global complex brand experience center ‘Kia 360’ in Gurgaon, a new city near Delhi, in 2019, and operates a service platform that allows customers to access everything from vehicle purchasing to maintenance in one place for enhanced convenience.
Moreover, Kia is conducting social contribution activities for environmental protection, including the DROP project, which raises awareness about the harmfulness of plastic waste, and the Uphaar project, which restores wasteland through tree planting.
In addition, Kia has launched a vocational training program in collaboration with the local non-profit organization Team Baktoo Collective to support the economic independence of Indian women and a lifestyle management program that cares for its employees’ health.
A Kia official stated, “Producing 1 million vehicles in India, the world’s third-largest automotive market with high growth potential, holds great significance. Moving forward, Kia will continue to strive to be a beloved brand in the Indian market through various marketing and locally specialized products.”
Meanwhile, Kia previously recorded cumulative production of 500,000 units in just 30 months, the shortest period among automotive companies in India.
Seong-Jin Lee daedusj@autodiary.kr