Who Is KIA & HOW DO THEY COMPARE?

Kia made a big splash at the recently concluded Auto Expo and truly whet our appetite for the shape of things to come. But what’s coming when, and how does it compare? Here’s a closer look at what to expect.

- Dhruv Behl

Before we begin this feature, and attempt to describe what it is, first, what it isn’t – this isn’t a comparison between two Kias and a handful of machines already on the market.

To begin with, these two Kias – the Rio hatchback and the Sportage SUV – haven’t even been launched in the market. In fact, as yet, we don’t even know if these two models will eventually be launched. We’ll get into the details in the following pages, suffice to say that Kia made a big splash by showcasing 16 global models at the recently concluded Auto Expo – which got a lot of people very excited about the brand’s entry into India (albeit a bit late in the day)!

The star of their showcase at the expo – along with the beautiful and svelte Stinger sports sedan – was, of course, the global debut of the SP Concept SUV.

Here’s what we know already

Kia signed an MOU with the Andhra Pradesh government in April 2017 to invest $1.1 billion in a 536-acre greenfield manufacturing facility that will have the capacity to produce 300,000 vehicles. A subsequent announcement has pledged an additional 100,000 units in future, along with a promised total investment of $2 billion by 2021. At present, construction is proceeding at a frenzied pace and the plant is running one month ahead of schedule. Kia certainly took its time to get here, but it appears that they’re preparing themselves to well and truly take the fight to the market.

The beautiful, and futuristic, SP Concept SUV will be the first machine to roll off the assembly line in September next year if all goes according to plan.

So, who is Kia?