Kia electric compact SUV: Kia has already committed Rs 2,000 crore to R&D, infrastructure development, and EV manufacturing in India. Kia will bring two new electric vehicles to India by 2025, both of which will be manufactured locally. However, there are no plans to localise the all-electric EV6; it will continue to be imported in full for the foreseeable future.
Kia’s electric compact SUV, MPV here by 2025
Tae Jin Park, managing director of Kia India, told Autocar India, “In the year 2025, two electric models will be locally manufactured.” While no specifics on the two upcoming EVs have been revealed, Kia will most likely have one SUV and one MPV in India by 2025.
New mass-market MPV
The first, as previously reported, will be an entirely new mass-market MPV designed specifically for India and set to hit the market in 2025. According to Park, Kia is particularly focused on the MPV segment: “In India, RV [MPV in Kia speak] customers have no choice, which is why we have models like the Carens or Carnival.” He is also cognizant of the growth potential, elaborating, “It will grow together with SUVs, maybe not as fast, but it will still be a very big market. We want to be India’s leading RV company.”
Electric version of Kia’s new compact SUV
The second vehicle will most likely be an electric version of Kia’s new compact SUV (internally known as the Kia AY), which will also be available in 2025. This unnamed SUV will be a sub-4m vehicle in Kia’s India lineup, sitting between the Seltos and the Sonet. Kia will position the AY as a lifestyle vehicle with a tougher SUV-like presence and a taller and boxier design to differentiate it from the Sonet.
Specifications of Kia EV6
| Battery Capacity | 77.4kw |
| Max Power (bhp@rpm) | 320.55bhp |
| Max Torque (nm@rpm) | 605nm |
| Seating Capacity | 5 |
| Range | 708km |
| Body Type | SUV |
Kia AY will not be a dedicated EV
Notably, the Kia AY will not be a pure EV, but will instead be available with both ICE and electric powertrains. According to sources, Kia India plans to produce close to one lakh units of the AY SUV per year, with the petrol version accounting for 80% of total volume and the EV derivative accounting for the remaining 20%. Some of this will be earmarked for exports as well.
Kia EV production plans for India
When asked where the company plans to manufacture this new range of EVs, Park stated that the existing plant in Anantapur is already future proof to produce both EVs and IC engine models concurrently. In fact, a portion of the Rs 2,000 crore investment will go towards modifying the current production line to produce both ICE models and EVs concurrently.
“Our plant in Anantapur is very flexible; we could produce electric vehicles there from day one, so we will continue to rely on production optimization to get more capacity out of the existing factory,” Park says. If we need more capacity, we have some extra land at Anantapur, so securing additional capacity from the existing set-up is no problem.”
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