Kia Targets 7.6% Market Share in India by 2030, 8 EVs Planned Including Syros EV, Sorento HEV, Carnival HEV

Kia Corporation held its 2026 CEO Investor Day in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday, at which it shared its latest mid- to long-term business plans and financial targets. Company President and CEO Ho Sung Song also disclosed updated strategies to grow its market share in India, considered a key emerging market.

The Hyundai Motor Group company is targeting sales of 4,10,000 units per year in India by 2030, which would give it a 7.6 percent market share. Core to this strategy will be the introduction of eight new EVs, including the Syros EV likely this year, along with the Sorento HEV and Carnival HEV.

Kia also intends to expand its dealer network in India to cover 800 locations by 2030, and will use its manufacturing facilities here as a key supply hub, along with South Korea, Mexico and China. The Syros EV and Carens EV, aimed at emerging markets, will be manufactured locally to improve market responsiveness and supply chain resilience.

For emerging markets as a whole – India, Mexico, Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East, South America, and CIS territories — the B SUV segment represents Kia’s largest sales volumes. The company will also focus on pushing sales of the Seltos and Sonet compact and subcompact SUVs, with a target of 200,000 units each, annually, by 2030. The target for overall annual sales for emerging markets is 1.48 million units, up from 1 million units in 2025.

Kia’s Global Targets

The company has also set itself a global sales target of 4.13 million units by 2030, giving it a 4.5 percent market share, as against the 3.35 million unit and 3.8 percent market share goal it has for 2026. Strategic focus will include PBVs ("Platform Beyond Concept", or purpose-built vehicles for the light commercial segment), autonomous driving, and robotics. Globally, Kia will launch nine ICE models and expand its HEV lineup to from 11 to 14 models by 2030. In particular, a body-on-frame pickup truck with hybrid and range-extender variants will be launched by 2030, targeting North American markets.

ICE and hybrid powertrain development will continue, reflecting different countries’ varying electrification goals. The company sees  annual sales scaling to 1.98 million and 1.15 million for ICE and xHEV models (HEVs, PHEVs and EREVs) respectively by 2030. Key ICE models include the Telluride and Seltos SUVs, while HEV versions of them will follow.

A next‑generation EV platform is in development, aimed at boosting cost-competitiveness. New models based on it will benefit from fifth-gen batteries that offer 15 percent higher energy density and up to 40 percent higher capacity, and a 9 percent improvement in motor output.  

The global EV lineup is set to expand to include two passenger vehicles, nine SUVs, and three PBV models, potentially based on the next-gen platform. The mass-market Kia EV2 has already been announced for Europe, with production just beginning. Charging network access is also a priority for the company.

Sales targets for the US and Europe are 1.02 million units and 746,000 units, for 6.2 percent and 4.8 percent market share respectively. Kia will double its HEV lineup from four to eight models in the US, while a B-segment electric hatchback on Kia’s first software-defined vehicle platform (SDV) will be prioritised in Europe.

Kia's future plans

The longer-term future will see the company up its data collection strategy in partnership with Nvidia. Pre-emptive, sensor and system standardisation across Hyundai Motor Group will allow it to benefit from scale and capitalise on data generated by production vehicles to help develop its autonomous driving models.

End‑to‑end autonomous driving capabilities are also on the 2030 plan. Kia’s first SDV is now set to debut towards the end of 2027, with Level 2+ autonomous driving technology for highways and L2++ for urban conditions following no earlier than 2029. An improved infotainment system, Pleos Connect, as well as Gleo AI, an in-vehicle AI agent, are also in the works.

Interestingly, Kia will leverage sister companies Boston Dynamics and Hyundai Mobis for general-purpose robotics and economies of scale. It also envisions last-mile delivery solutions with Boston Dynamics’ Atlas, Stretch and Spot robots integrated into some of its PBV models.