Kia Plans to Begin Third Shift at its Anantapur Plant
With the entry of the Karenth MPV into the Indian market in the first quarter of 2022, Kia India plans to increase production and will soon begin a third shift at its Anantapur plant. Coming soon, Kia Carens will be India's fourth branded product. ... The Kia Carens MPV will be available in India by early 2022. [1]
Figure 1. Kia Plans to Begin Third Shift at its Anantapur Plant
Figure 1 shows on the sidelines of the Carens' global debut, Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India gave insight into the company's EV plans for India. He said, "There are two different kinds of approach - one is top-down, and the other one is bottom-up, that is volume cars. For example, Tata, with local productions, started with volume cars, in the case of EVs. But we are very carefully looking at which is the best option for us, by comparing to what kind of EV models we have, and which kind of leads we'll get from the EV market in India. Combining them together, we are very carefully looking at which model should we start with. So, whether it be top-down or bottom-up will depend on the market situation."
Currently, Kia has three models in its product portfolio, and all of them are produced at its Anantapur facility in Andhra Pradesh. As of now, the company retails about 14,000 units each month. In November 2021, Kia sold 14,214 units of which 8,859 units were the Seltos, 4,719 units were the Sonet, and the remaining 636 units were the Carnival MPV. [2]
Features
This being a Kia, the equipment list is a big highlight of the Carens. Top-spec variants of the Carens will come equipped with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Kia’s UVO connect. It also gets a fully digital instrument cluster, an eight-speaker Bose sound system and a multi-function steering wheel with buttons for audio controls, voice commands and calling, similar to the one seen on the Seltos and the Sonet.
Notably, the Carens gets roof-mounted AC vents to aid cooling at the rear, which rules out the possibility of a panoramic sunroof in the future. The Carens only gets a single pane sunroof. Other highlights on the Carens include a 64-colour ambient lighting, ventilated front seats, seat-back tables with cup holders, electrically powered, one-touch tumble down feature for the second row (first in segment feature) and an air purifier. Kia has particularly stressed on safety features with the Carens as all models get six airbags, ABS, ESC, hill-start assist, disc brakes at all four ends, TPMS and rear parking sensors as standard. [3]
References:
- https://indianewsrepublic.com/kia-will-soon-begin-a-third-shift-at-its-anantapur-plant/587926/
- https://www.carandbike.com/news/kia-plans-to-begin-third-shift-at-its-anantapur-plant-soon-2661663
- https://www.autocarindia.com/car-news/kia-carens-5-key-points-423024
Cite this article:
Thanusri swetha J (2021), Kia Plans to Begin Third Shift at its Anantapur Plant, pp. 49