The entire automotive industry is abuzz with speculations as to whether or not Kia would introduce a new car anytime soon. Around June and July 2020, rumors started circulating that Kia might be looking to introduce the new Picanto in Pakistan by the end of this year, however, nothing has been heard of the car ever since.
Plus, the automaker, despite now having a significant presence in the market, tends to remain incredibly discrete when it comes to its plans for the market going forward. However, as per the latest scoop shared by a media outlet, JS Global Capital senior research analyst Ahmed Lakhani’s sources in Kia have reported that the automaker is looking to launch 4 new cars before the end of 2021.
Kia came back to the Pakistani Market in partnership with Lucky Cement, a subsidiary of the highly prolific Younus Brothers Group (YBG), back in 2017. Since then, the Korean automaker has seen a considerable amount of success, especially in the compact crossover SUV segment with their Kia Sportage SUV. The other car that saw relative success was the Kia Picanto.
The automaker came in under green-field status, which it received following the government’s Auto Development Policy (ADP 2016-21).
Under the said policy, the new entrants are given maximum leverage, so as to launch as many cars in the country as possible. Though it must be noted that the policy is set to expire in June 2021.
In his conversation with the media, Lakhani said that, according to his sources, Kia shall be adding 2 more SUVs and a sedan to their lineup by late 2021. As we learned a couple of weeks ago, Kia is getting ready to bring the Sorento to the Pakistani Market.
Sorento is Kia’s mid-sized crossover SUV that sits between the compact Sportage and the full-sized Telluride SUVs, as a competitor to the likes of Toyota Fortuner and Hyundai Santa Fe. According to the reports, Kia has already brought in a few CBU units to Pakistan, with the 2.4-liter engine and the 3.5-liter V6 engine options, for testing.
An automotive analyst, Shakaib Khan highlighted that Kia will most likely be bringing the Kia Rio to Pakistan. Kia Rio is a subcompact car that is offered in the international market, both as a hatchback and a sedan, and if the previous statement is to be believed, the automaker would most probably be bringing in the sedan version to Pakistan, for it to compete against the likes of Honda City and Toyota Yaris.
The other SUV is likely to be the Kia Sonet. Sonet is a subcompact crossover SUV that, upon arrival, would likely go up against Honda Vezel/HR-V, Toyota C-HR, Corolla Cross, Nissan Juke, and the “yet to be seen on the roads” BAIC X25.
This assumption has been made based on the premise that about a month ago, Kia posted a photo of the new Sonet on their Facebook page and asked the audience for their feedback. Which could imply that the automaker might have plans for the SUV in Pakistan. But that, at this point, is a matter of speculation.
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