Kia Sonet Surpasses 4 Lakh Sales Milestone

Big news for Kia Sonet fans! The compact SUV has sold over 4 lakh units, counting sales in both India and abroad. This milestone comes in under four years since its launch in September 2020. Among the 4 lakh units sold, 3,17,754 were bought in India, and another 85,814 exported worldwide. Furthermore, petrol models constitute 63% of sales, while diesel makes up 37%.

Kia reports a shift in consumer preference towards automatic variants of the Sonet SUV. Nearly 28% of buyers opted for the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with the 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, while a similar percentage chose the 6-speed torque converter with the 1.5-litre diesel. Additionally, 23% went for the iMT option. Interestingly, 63% of buyers also favoured having a sunroof.

The Kia Sonet, produced in India, is distributed across several markets in ASEAN, Africa, and the Middle East. Kia manufacturers both right-and left-hand drive versions of the SUV here. Although Kia India introduced a 7-seater Sonet for Indonesia in 2021, it was later discontinued due to low sales.

In terms of features, the Kia Sonet offers a bunch of cool stuff like a big 10.25-inch touchscreen for music, a fancy digital instrument display, and a powered driver’s seat that can move in four directions. It also has automatic climate control, cool ventilated seats up front, wireless-charging port, smart connected features, six airbags, ESC, TPMS, and high-tech features like lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring, and forward collision warning.

The Kia Sonet price ranges from Rs 7.99 lakh to 15.75 lakh (ex-showroom). It’s in a tough competition with other compact SUVs like the Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, and Mahindra XUV300.

In other news, Kia made significant revelations about its future plans for the Indian market during Investor Day 2024. The Korean automaker emphasized the importance of addressing the diverse needs of Indian car buyers. In line with strategy, Kia’s President and CEO, Ho-Sung Song, unveiled plans to introduce two new mass-market electric models within the next 18 months.

Among these upcoming offerings, the Kia Carens EV is expected to be a prominent inclusion. Additionally, Kia aims to enhance its electric vehicle line-up by launching the EV9 in India later this year.