Make In India: South Korean Carmaker Kia Plans To Begin Local Manufacturing Of EVs In India From 2025

South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia is working on an India-centric electric vehicle and plans to begin the local production of its electric vehicles in India by 2025.

Kia on Thursday (2 June) launched the Kia EV6, the Korean carmaker’s first all-electric crossover in India, at a starting price of Rs 59.95 lakh for the RWD variant, going up to Rs 64.95 lakh for the AWD version.

The company has reportedly received a good response for the EV6, registering 355 bookings for the premium EV, over 3.5 times the number of the cars that company planned to sell in India this year.

Looking at the demand, Kia is working on trying to bring more units for India and is still taking bookings for the EV6.

"We are starting with EV6 because we want to show the global best to Indian customers. We are working on an India-centric EV," Kia India MD Tae-Jin Park said in an interview with Economic Times.

"We are planning local manufacturing in 2025. As we already mentioned, we are developing the 14 BEVs globally (for launch by 2027). Among those, we are looking for the best options for the Indian market," he added.

"We are approaching the market, from premium to mass (ends). We are not confident (now as to) which model is the best for India; so, we are discussing with our headquarters. It will depend on Indian infrastructure/charging systems, mindset of the customers, competitors and also on localisation status in stocks in India," Park said.