NEW DELHI, Jan 2 (The CONNECT) -Premium car maker Kia India today announced the appointment of Gwanggu Lee as the new Managing Director and CEO with immediate effect.
He is the 3rd Managing Director and CEO of Kia India, succeeding Kook Hyun Shim and Tae Jin Park.
Kia India’s former MD & CEO Tae Jin Park is retiring after his 36-year journey with Kia Corporation and 4 years stint in India.
With over 30 years of experience in the automotive sector, Lee will spearhead Kia’s transformative journey focusing on fostering sustainable business growth.
He has held leadership positions in both developed and developing economies, including in the US, Canada, Italy, Mexico, Kia Headquarters in Central and South America and Kia Europe Headquarters in Germany.
His recent role as President at Kia Mexico played a pivotal role in the establishment as a production and export hub.
Lee said, with two segment-breaking updates – the new Seltos & the new Sonet and a host of more innovative products on the way, Kia India is surely on the right path to sustainable business growth.
“My vision is to unlock the next phase of growth through inspiring Kia brand experiences thereby creating more value and long-lasting impact for our customers, partners, and employees alike,” he said.
In April 2017, Kia India signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, India, to build a new manufacturing facility at Anantapur District. Kia commenced mass production in August 2019 and has an annual production capacity of 300,000 units.
In April 2021, Kia India reimagined itself in line with its new brand identity, “Movement that Inspires” aimed at offering customers meaningful experiences backed by innovative products and services.
Under the new brand identity, Kia has set out to find ways to achieve new benchmarks and inspire consumers to be more and do more. Till date, Kia India has launched five vehicles for the Indian market – the Seltos, the Carnival, the Sonet, the Carens, and the EV6.
Kia India has completed over 1.1 million vehicle dispatches from its Anantapur plant, including over 8.6 lakh domestic sales and close to 2.5 lakh exports.
With almost 3.8 lakh connected cars on Indian roads, it is among the connected car leaders in the country. The brand has a widespread network of 432 touchpoints across 213 cities and is focused on strengthening its footprints across the country.
