Kia India says no mid-term plans to assemble EV6, will instead focus on India-centric EV

The EV6 is currently built at Kia’s Hwasung plant in South Korea and is brought to India through the CBU import route.

Kia India Private Limited, which has launched its maiden electric vehicle EV6, is unlikely to assemble the model in India in the foreseeable future. This is despite the company garnering 355 confirmed orders for this model since it commenced bookings on May 26, 2022. Available in two trims, wherein the GT Line RWD is priced at Rs 59.95 lakh (ex-showroom, India), and the GT Line AWD is priced at Rs 64.95 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The South Korean multinational automotive company had initially allocated 100 units for the Indian market.

Hardeep Singh Brar, VP and Head of Sales & Marketing of Kia India, told reporters, “We will concretize our long-term strategies for the EV models. For the time being, we are sticking to CBUs (Completely Built Up) for EV6. But there are other products that will come here which may be built here. EV6 may not follow the manufacturing route in the foreseeable future.”

It is to be mentioned that the EV6 is currently built at Kia’s Hwasung plant in South Korea and is brought to India through the CBU import route. At the moment, cars imported as CBUs attract customs duty ranging from 60 to 100 percent, depending on the engine size, and cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value. Incidentally, this is the first Kia-dedicated electric vehicle (EV), and the first model developed on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which also underpins the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

With its official launch, the electric compact crossover SUV will be taking on Volvo XC40 Recharge, BMWi4, and Hyundai Ioniq 5. Only 100 units of the vehicle have been allocated for India as of now, and deliveries of the AWD variant will begin by September 2022, while deliveries of RWD will start by December 2022.  The Korean automaker has also installed 150kW charging points in 15 EV-specific dealerships across 12 cities in India for its customers.

Meanwhile, Kia India has also revealed that the company will be rolling out a made-in-India EV by the year 2025. The company said the new EV, which it said will be a Recreation Vehicle or RV, will be built from scratch, particularly for the Indian market. While details about the upcoming EV are not disclosed, it is believed that it will be a mass-market car and share a platform with Hyundai Motor India’s upcoming India-specific SUV.

“Our EV announcement for the country which includes an India-centric BEV in RV body type to be launched in 2025, is a testament to our commitment towards India and our new-age Indian customers by providing them with a sheer electric performance in the future," said Tae-Jin Park, Managing Director and CEO, Kia India.