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, while 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 the financial year ended March 2021 (FY2021) and the first five months of FY2025, the company has sold a total of 9,61,134 units, which means the Sonet has contributed 37 percent, the next highest after the Seltos midsize SUV’s 48 percent share (4,99,033 units out of 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.
Despite being launched during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sonet crossed 1,00,000 units in sales on September 14, 2021 – less than a year after its launch. Its other milestones were 1,50,000 units in June of next year and 2,50,000 in May 2023, roughly 33 months since launch. The run from 2,50,000 to 3,50,000 units took about 15 months.
Sonet tops Kia India’s export chart
To date, Kia India has shipped 92,069 Sonets overseas, particularly to the Middle East, Africa, Central and South America, Mexico and the Asia Pacific regions. The compact SUV’s best export performance of 30,574 units came in FY2024 with a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 5 percent, 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 | ||
However, in the first five months of FY2024, the Sonet exports have plunged 75 percent YoY to 5,210 units. Kia India’s overall exports, too, have dropped 62 percent to 12,822 units in the same period. The Seltos’ exports are down 68 percent to 3,089 units. But the numbers for the Carens are up 15 percent at 4,523 units.
At the end of the first five months of the ongoing financial year, the Kia Sonet was ranked 10th among the Top 20 utility vehicles.
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