Kia hits milestone of 1 lakh CKD exports from Anantapur plant

Vijayawada: KIA India, a leading premium carmaker, on Monday announced the surpassing the milestone of exporting one lakh units of CKD vehicles since it began shipment in June 2020 from its Anantapur manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh.

In a press release on Monday, KIA India said that the company is expecting to export over 38,000 CKD units to Uzbekistan, Ecuador, and Vietnam markets in 2024.

It said the success is a testament to the marketability and competitive pricing of Kia India’s lineup, which boasts Seltos, Sonet and Carens.

Commenting on this milestone, Joonsu Cho, chief sales officer, said, “India is a key market for Kia Corporation, serving not only as a strong sales driver but also as an emerging export hub. This milestone highlights Kia India’s commitment to manufacturing excellence, innovation, and delivering value to global customers. We are also grateful for the government’s export-friendly policies, which have played a crucial role in strengthening India’s position within the global automotive value chain. Looking ahead, we aim to expand our CKD footprint to the Middle East and Africa, to double our export volume by 2030.”

In April 2017, Kia India signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Government of Andhra Pradesh, to build a new manufacturing facility at Anantapur district. Kia commenced mass production in August 2019 and has an installed annual production capacity of 3 lakh units.