Kia Stinger sedan, Sorento and Telluride SUVs under consideration for India

Team OD Updated: September 24, 2019, 04:32 PM IST

A news outlet has reported that Kia Motors India is looking at three or four CKD models to be part of the six to eight cars it wants to launch in the Indian market over the next three years. These CKD cars are likely to be the Kia Stinger sedan, the Kia Sorento SUV and the three-row Kia Telluride SUV from its North American operations.

These cars are meant to complement its locally produced confirmed launches, the Kia Carnival MPV is set to be unveiled at the 2020 Auto Expo and a sub-four-metre SUV is expected around six-months after that. Kia is also considering the Soul or Niro EVs for our market. Its Anantpur plant is already equipped to handle EV assembly. These efforts are towards achieving a 5 per cent market share in India in the next three years. The Seltos has given the brand a good start, Kia currently has 35,000 bookings for the SUV.

The Kia Sorento is an alternative to the Hyundai Santa Fe, and can be had with a 2.2-litre diesel or 2.0-litre petrol motor. The Telluride is a much larger car and competes in the mid-size SUV segment in the US. It's Kia's SUV flagship, seats eight, and is powered by a 3.8-litre petrol V6 engine that puts out 291PS and 355 Nm. The Stinger GT is a rear-drive sports sedan, similar in size to the likes of the Skoda Octavia and Honda Civic. It can be had with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo with 255PS and 352 Nm. There's also a more powerful 365PS and 510 Nm 3.3 litre twin-turbo V6 petrol.