New Delhi : South Korean auto maker Kia plans to roll out electric and hybrid vehicles from its upcoming plant at Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh and is targeting to launch an electric vehicle in India by 2021, said a top company official.
Kia Motors India has lined also up three models to be launched here in the next three years as part of its plans to enter the market. It will start with SUV, SP Concept that was showcased at the Auto Expo this year.
“At the moment we are considering to produce electric vehicles and hybrids at our facility (at Anantpur),” Kia Motors India CEO and MD Kook Hyun Shim said.
The company is investing $1.1 billion at the plant spread over 23 million sqft. It will have a capacity to produce 3 lakh car annually and employ 3,000 when fully operational.
When asked about its plans for EVs for India in the backdrop of the government taking a technology agnostic approach and avoiding framing an EV policy, he said the company’s approach is “very flexible”.
“At the same time, we are also thinking of doing a pioneering effort, to position our brand as an eco-friendly car maker. We want to be the pioneers in this market. So, by 2021 we could take the initiative to launch a fully electric vehicle,” Shim added.
First Lithium Ion cells by 2019
NEW DELHI: First set of made-in-India Lithium Ion cells, widely used in mobile phones, are expected to be available in market by April 2019 from factory of Munoth Industries, Indian Cellular Association said. The company is planning to invest Rs 799 crore in the facility, it added. The plant is being set up in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
