Anantapur: Kia Motors rolled out the much-touted vehicle manufactured at its state-of-the-art facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Mid-sized SUV Kia Seltos was unveiled by Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy.
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.
Mid-sized SUV Kia Seltos has over 23,000 pre-bookings as of now, a senior official of the Korean automaker said on Thursday.
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."
Read more:Maruti Suzuki launches BS-VI compliant Ertiga, price starts at Rs 7.54 lakh
"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 press release said.
Overall, Kia has invested USD 2 billion in India, including USD 1.1 billion in the plant, the company had earlier said.
Reading out the message from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, AP Finance Minister Rajendranath Reddy said it was former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy who had taken the initiative to bring in the Korean car maker to the state.
The state attracted investments to the tune of USD 4.5 billion from major auto makers and players such as Isuzu, Hero and Apollo Tyres, among others, he quoted the CM as saying.
