March 2020 has been a difficult month for the Indian automotive industry and the situation was no different for Kia. The Korean carmaker sold 8,583 units in the month, which is significantly down on preceding month February 2020’s dispatch number of 15,644 units. In its sales announcement, Kia Motors India said it had stopped its wholesale billings on March 16 2020, avoiding unsold inventory at its dealerships, in light of the coronavirus pandemic and the drop in demand.

While the Carnival premium MPV sold 1,117 units in March 2020, the Seltos SUV contributed the lion’s share with 7,466 units sold in the month. Since its launch in August 2019, the Seltos has notched total sales of 81,784 units until now, averaging monthly sales of 10,223 units.

Kia’s March 2020 sales means the carmaker occupies third sport behind Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai in the Indian car market. The arrival of the Sonet compact SUV in mid-2020 promises to put even more momentum to Kia’s charge up the sales charts.