Seltos has over 23,000 pre-bookings in India: Kia Motors

Anantapur (AP): Mid-sized SUV KiaSeltos has over 23,000 pre-bookings as of now, a senior official of the Korean automaker said on Thursday.

The automaker rolled out the much touted vehicle manufactured at its state-of-the-art facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.

The Ambassador of the Republic of South Korea to India, Shin Bong-kil and Kookhyun Shim, Managing Director and CEO of Kia Motors India were present at the function.

The company further announced the commencement of mass production of Seltos in India after testing the vehicle in different climatic conditions and some of the most challenging terrains in India.

"I must inform you that we had opened bookings with an option to e-book the Seltos from Kia Motors India official website and physically from the numerous Kia Motors India dealerships on July 16 itself... we have received over 23,000 bookings," Manohar Bhat Kia Motors India Vice President and Head - Sales and Marketing said.

Kia Motors would be launching Seltos on August 22 with deliveries beginning the same day, he said adding "With 265 touch-points across 160 cities, it is safe to say that we delivered on this front and the Kia experience will be accessible to everyone."

"The invaluable contribution made by the government of Andhra Pradesh has enabled us to achieve our target of manufacturing the Seltos in record time.

The first Seltos is the symbol of our promise and commitment of Kia to the Indian market," Managing Director and CEO of Kia Motors India, Kookhyun Shim said.

The world-class manufacturing facility in Anantapur, spread across 536 acres has an annual capacity of 3,00,000 vehicles and would also be capable of producing hybrid and electric vehicles.

The plant is equipped with the most advanced global technologies such as Robotics and Artificial Intelligence and is remarkably environment-friendly with capabilities like 100 per cent water recycling within the plant, a company release said.

In his speech that was read out by AP Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath at the launch, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy hoped Kia would help build the automotive ecosystem as well as drive the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises in the state.

"I am confident that the presence of Kia Motors will not only help strengthen the automobile sector but also enchance positive brand image of Andhra Pradesh among other top foreign industries," Jagan noted.

He said Kia Motors would also be collaborating with the state government in developing an ecosystem for Electric Vehicles (EVs) in Andhra Pradesh.

"We are promoting adoption of EVs and charging infrastructure starting with government fleet. As the technology becomes economical, we plan to convert all polluting vehicles to environment-friendly EVs," he added.

On the investments, Jagan said Kia was investing 1.6 billion USD (Rs 10,328 crore) on the Anantapuramu plant, 16 Korean auto ancillaries committed an investment of 747 million USD (Rs 5,062 crore).

Around 60-70 Tier-II vendors and ancillaries of Kia were also likely to establish their units here in near future, he said.

"This will pave the way for more such Korean investments into our state and further strengthen the cultural ties between South Korea and Andhra Pradesh," the Chief Minister said.

The AP Finance Minister recalled that it was former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy who had taken the initiative to bring in the Korean car maker to the state.

Kia had signed a memorandum of understanding with AP government in April 2017 and commence construction of its plant on a 550-acre site abutting the Bengaluru National Highway at Penukonda.

In January this year, it commenced trial production and rolled out its first Made-in-India car now.