How Kia turned out to be a 'sweet price band' for upper middle class

Hyundai's sister concern has established a respectable presence in India despite a pandemic-year launch

The 2020 Auto Expo saw many global auto brands make a debut in India’s competitive passenger vehicle (PV) market. Among these, the Kia Motors pavilion with its line-up of models that boasted fresh design- and feature-packed offerings, and premium imagery turned out to be quite a crowd puller. It had entered the Indian market only a few months ago, in August 2019, with its mid-size sports utility vehicle (SUV) Seltos.

At the biennial auto show, Hyundai Motors’ sister concern launched the Carnival — a premium multi-purpose vehicle for the Indian market. It also showcased a flurry of new SUVs, including