Kia Seltos, India's Best-Selling SUV of the Year 'No. 1'

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Kia Motors' compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) Seltos has ranked as the best-selling SUV in the Indian market this year. This achievement is particularly meaningful as it was attained just over a year after Kia's entry into the Indian market last year and amid the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

According to the global sales data provider site 'bestsellingcarblog.com' on the 27th, from January to November this year, Kia's Seltos sold 91,324 units in the Indian domestic market, becoming the best-selling SUV. While it ranks 6th overall among all vehicle models, it is clearly number one among SUVs.

Kia Motors Compact SUV Seltos

In second place among SUVs was Hyundai's mid-size SUV Creta, with 86,397 units sold, proving Hyundai-Kia's dominance in the Indian SUV market. Following were Maruti Suzuki's Brezza (71,415 units), Hyundai Venue (70,115 units), and Maruti Suzuki S-Presso (60,903 units).

In terms of the overall Indian automobile market, the top 10 models this year were divided between Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai-Kia. Maruti placed seven models in the top 10, while Hyundai-Kia had three models?Seltos, Creta, and i10?ranked. By market share, Maruti Suzuki accounted for about half at 49.9%, followed by Hyundai-Kia at 23.5%.

As of last year, the Indian automobile market had an annual volume of 3.85 million units, emerging as the world's fifth-largest single market. Hyundai-Kia's strategy is to break Maruti Suzuki's monopoly in the Indian market by launching locally tailored SUVs. Starting with the operation of Kia's Anantapur plant last year, Hyundai-Kia has established a production system capable of manufacturing 1 million units annually in India. Since Kia's entry last year, Hyundai-Kia's annual market share this year is expected to reach an all-time high.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.