Kia India sold a whopping 4,00,000 connected cars in our market since its inception. This comes out to be just over 10 cars per hour in over 4 and a half years of mass-producing cars. Kia is the fastest-growing foreign carmaker in the country. It offers five products in our market – Seltos, Sonet, Carens, Carnival and EV6. The flagship 7-seat electric SUV EV9 is about to make its entry to join these vehicles. In recent years, customers often look for connectivity features in their cars. Recognizing this, Kia has been offering connected car tech across its range for a long time now.
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Kia Sold 4 Lakh Connected Cars
As per the official press release from Kia India, 44% of Kia customers prefer Connected Car trims across various products in the lineup. On top of that, Kia India’s Connected Car variants are growing at 30.9% CAGR which is much higher than the global growth forecast of 18% by 2032. Looking individually, Kia Seltos contributes 65% to this overall Connected Car trims sales. On the other hand, 31% of Sonet customers opt for the Connected Car variants. The most popular features that customers love include:
- Hinglish Commands: Users can now access the car features through Hinglish commands like “Sunroof Kholo,” offering additional convenience.
- Remote Window Control: Allow users to operate the windows of their cars remotely.
- Remote Engine and AC Start: Keeps the car ready and cooled/heated to be just seated and driven.
- Valet Mode: Restricts access to your AVNT, protecting your privacy.
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On this occasion, Mr. Myung-sik Sohn, Chief Sales and Business Officer at Kia India said, “We have differentiated our brand in the market for its design and technology superiority. In today’s hyper-connected world, customers want their cars to be seamlessly integrated with their lifestyle, driving a surge in demand for technology-enabled cars. We will continue to introduce more and more connected car features to offer a safer, more connected, and enjoyable drive experience to our new-age customers.”
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Author’s Note
Connectivity is a huge part of modern cars. With the use of so much electronics, modern cars are essentially electronic gadgets. Hence, the younger customers are drawn to this aspect a lot. They are able to seamlessly integrate their smartphones and streaming platforms into the infotainment system of their cars, or use Alexa support and voice commands, etc. to make their lives easier. Therefore, we understand the inclination of the new customers toward the higher variants of Kia cars with connected car tech features.
