The Sonet, Kia India’s first compact SUV launched four years ago on September 18, has clocked cumulative sales of 4,49,812 units in domestic and export markets till August-end. As per wholesale figures by SIAM, 3,57,743 Sonets were sold in India and 92,069 were exported.
- Sonet contributes 37 percent to Kia India’s sales
- Exported to Middle East, Africa, Central & South America, Mexico and Asia Pacific
| Kia Sonet domestic sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal | Units | Change | Share of total sales |
| FY2021 | 63,717 | , | 40.92% |
| FY2022 | 73,864 | 15.92% | 39.54% |
| FY2023 | 94,096 | 27.39% | 34.95% |
| FY2024 | 81,384 | -13.5% | 33.13% |
| FY2025 | 44,582 | 31.1% | 43.04% |
| TOTAL | 3,57,743 | ||
The Sonet, along with the Seltos midsize SUV and, more recently, the Carens MPV, has played a key role in Kia India’s strong presence in the country’s utility vehicles space – the Korean carmaker ranks fifth with a market share of 9.40 percent and dispatched 1 ,03,798 UVs between April and August.
The Sonet’s total numbers to date reflect its strong contribution to Kia India’s overall sales in the domestic market. Between FY2021 and the first five months of FY2025 (April-August 2024), the company has sold a total of 9,61,134 units, which means the Sonet has contributed 37 percent, the next highest contribution after the Seltos midsize SUV’s 48 percent share ( 4,99,033 units out of total 10.4 lakh UVs Kia India has sold since August 2019). The Carens MPV, with 1,73,531 units, is the third highest-selling model.
What is creditable about the Sonet is that despite being launched when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak in India, it went on to cross the 1,00,000-unit sales milestone on September 14, 2021, 261 days or less than a year. after its launch. The 1,50,000-unit sales milestone came up in June 2022. The 2,50,000-units mark came up in May 2023, 33 months since launch. The run from 2,50,000 to 3,50,000 units has taken 15 months.
Sonet tops Kia India’s export chart
Kia India has to date shipped a total of 92,069 Sonets to overseas markets, particularly the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, Mexico and the Asia Pacific region. The best export performance for the compact SUV was in FY2024 – 30,574 units, up 5 percent YoY – when it bettered the longstanding No. 1 export model, the Seltos (13,042 units, down 73 percent YoY).
| Kia Sonet exports | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiscal | Units | Change | Share of total exports |
| FY2021 | 8,239 | , | 20.37% |
| FY2022 | 18,995 | 130.54% | 37.34% |
| FY2023 | 29,051 | 52.94% | 33.87% |
| FY2024 | 30,574 | 5.24% | 58.67% |
| FY2025 | 5,210 | -74.75% | 40.63% |
| TOTAL | 92,069 | ||
In the first five months of FY2024, Sonet exports at 5,210 units are down 75 percent YoY (April-August 2023: 20,637 units); Kia India’s overall exports too – at 12,822 units – are down 62 percent YoY in April-August 2024 (April-August 2023: 34,238 units). The Seltos, with exports of 3,089 units, is down 68 percent YoY (April-August 2023: 9,659 units). The Carens, with 4,523 units, up 15 percent YoY (April-August 2023: 3,942 units), is the only model to register positive export sales.
In the current fiscal year, at the end of August 2024, the Kia Sonet is ranked 10th amongst the Top 20 utility vehicles. It is one of the eight compact SUVs that populate the best-seller UB chart, the balance being taken up by eight midsize SUVs and four MPVs.
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Kanishk Singh has always had a keen interest in fast-paced cars. For the past three years, he has been writing about automobiles, but his fascination with cars dates back even further. He thoroughly enjoys learning about their features and expressing his thoughts through his writing. Kanishk also has a profound interest in the stock market, shares, and business strategies. He possesses a wealth of knowledge on these subjects and consistently writes articles on them. Currently, he is working as a writer for Lattestnews24, specifically focusing on the Automobile, Finance, and Business categories. His well-crafted words are highly appreciated by the readers, as they find them both informative and creative.