Kia India has surpassed 500,000 connected cars on Indian roads, with connected car variants now contributing nearly 40% of the company’s domestic wholesale volumes.
The Kia Seltos accounts for around 70% of the company’s total connected car sales, while the Sonet and Carens also contribute significantly to this achievement.
Commenting on the achievement, Atul Sood, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Kia India, said, “Kia India has consistently differentiated itself through its vehicle design excellence and technology leadership. Our continued focus on enhancing connected features and customer engagement initiatives such as Kia Drive Green has strengthened adoption and interaction across our connected ecosystem. The strong customer retention beyond the complimentary subscription period underscores the sustained relevance and long-term value of Kia Connect.”
The company reports strong customer retention, with users returning for renewals after the complimentary subscription period ends.
Key connected car features include the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit, which provides intuitive interfaces and over-the-air capabilities; Plant Over-The-Air Updates that ensure vehicles are delivered with the latest software; remote diagnostics; Digital Key 2.0 for smartphone or smartwatch-based access; Surround View Monitor for 360-degree vehicle viewing via the app; and multilingual voice recognition supporting English, Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali.
Kia India has achieved 100% connected car penetration in its electric vehicle segment. EV-specific features include Drive Green, a gamified platform that visualizes customers’ eco-impact, and Smart Connected Home Chargers available in 7.4 kW and 11 kW options.
Kia India began mass production in August 2019 at its Anantapur facility with an installed annual production capacity of 300,000 units. The company has completed almost 1.5 million vehicle dispatches from the plant, including over 1.2 million domestic sales and over 367,000 exports. It operates a network of 821 touchpoints across 369 cities in India.