Kia plans to announce EV strategy for the Indian market next year – Times of India

Gurugram: South Korean automaker Kia plans to come up with a detailed strategy on electric vehicles for the Indian market next year, a senior company official said on Thursday.
The company, which just unveiled its all-new model for the Indian market – the Carrence, is considering all aspects related to the Electric Vehicle (EV) segment before coming up with the final blueprint.
Kia India Vice President and Head, “Currently, we are studying as there are many factors… Pricing, range, charging infrastructure. (Sales & Marketing) Hardeep Singh Brar told PTI.
Asked if there might be some synergy with Hyundai with respect to the EV segment, he said: “At the backend yes we have a lot of synergies but when we go to the market we play our game. They have their own line. -Up is there, we have ours.”
Earlier this month, Hyundai announced plans to invest around Rs 4,000 crore to drive around six EVs in India by 2028. When asked about sales projections, Brar said the automaker is looking at growth of around 30 per cent next year compared to 2021.
“We will close around 2.25 lakh units this year, including domestic and exports. And next year we plan to sell 3 lakh units,” he said.
When asked how much will the carrens contribute to the company’s overall sales going forward, Brar said it is too early to give any figures but the vehicle will compete in a segment that is growing with a contribution of around 15 per cent to the total domestic . Sale of passenger vehicles.
“If we look at the industry this year, it will be around 30 lakh units and next year it should be 33-34 lakh, so 15 per cent of it will be 4.5 lakh units this year and maybe one lakh more in 2022. So to stay in There is enough space,” he said.
On chip shortage, Brar said the situation is expected to improve next year. He added that the company is doing everything possible to reduce the waiting period on its vehicles, which has increased due to production issues due to shortage of semiconductors.
“The waiting period for Seltos is four months now. Hopefully, we will produce more next year,” Brar said.
He added that due to the long waiting period, the company has canceled around 20 per cent bookings so far.
Elaborating on the expansion of sales infrastructure, Brar said that the company plans to build 400 touch points in 225 cities next year. The company has a presence in 198 cities with 339 touch points.