Is Kia really coming to India?

A subsidiary of the Hyundai Group, Kia is rumoured to make its way to India in the near future. This isn’t the first time that the buzz of the Korean car maker’s entry into India has been reported with first reports dating as far back as 2009. Although at the time, due to weak demand and the overall market conditions, Kia withheld its plans; recent reports in the Economic Times suggest that they are now all set to make their debut.

The leading newspaper reported that Kia has ‘completed numerous reports on the Indian market, including a detailed feasibility study’. However, the launch of the new brand in India isn’t around the corner just yet. Although Hyundai currently has a manufacturing facility in Chennai, as of now, it is working towards its full capacity making it difficult to add more models to it.

Kia is currently looking for land to setup a factory, following which they will have to get a lot of permissions and clearances from authorities before they setup the foundation stone. Meanwhile, the Korean car maker is also looking at localising some of its parts in order to keep the costs in check.

Similar to its global approach, Kia is expected to have an independent sales and service network; however, there will be linkages at the backend. Considering the amount of work left before establishing a foundation stone, it will be at least two-three years before Kia will finally make its way to Indian shores, that too, if they decide to stick to the plan this time round.