Kia's Anantapur Plant Has Outgrown Its 2017 Plan of 3 Lakh Cars a Year
Kia's 2017 plan for Anantapur promised about 3 lakh cars a year, a $1.1 billion investment and a compact sedan. Here is how the plant turned out.
Kia's Anantapur plant can now make as many as 4,30,000 vehicles a year, the company said on 12 November. When Kia chose the site in April 2017, it planned for about 3,00,000.
Kia set out that plan on 27 April 2017, the day it signed its first memorandum of understanding with the Andhra Pradesh government, at a ceremony in Vijayawada. Construction was to start in the last quarter of 2017, with output due to begin in the latter half of 2019.
| Item | 2017 plan | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly capacity | About 3,00,000 vehicles | Up to 4,30,000 vehicles |
| Investment | About $1.1 billion by Kia | $2.9 billion by Kia and its suppliers |
| Site area | About 536 acres | 945 acres, shared with suppliers |
| Production start | Second half of 2019 | Mass production from August 2019 |
| Models | A compact sedan and a compact SUV | Ten launched in India, none a sedan |
The investment figures are not like for like. The 2017 number covers Kia's own spending, while the 2026 total adds what its suppliers put in.
A Capacity Figure That Moved in 2026
Kia's monthly sales releases gave the plant an installed capacity of 3,00,000 a year up to the one issued on 1 June 2026. From the 1 July release, the figure became 4,00,000.
Hyundai Motor Group listed Anantapur at 4,31,000 on 13 October. Kia's statement on its second factory puts it at 4,30,000.
SUVs in Place of a Sedan
The compact sedan in the 2017 plan has not reached Indian showrooms. None of the ten models Kia lists as launched in India is a sedan.
Kia's SUVs carried the plant instead. Kia said in February 2026 that the Seltos had passed 6 lakh sales in India since its 2019 launch, and in January that the Sonet had crossed 5 lakh.
The factory has taken on more work since. It started building the new-generation Seltos in December 2025 and the Sorento, Kia's first hybrid SUV for India, in August 2026. The Carens Clavis EV, Kia's first electric car made in India, went on sale in July 2025.
Kia says almost 1.9 million vehicles have left Anantapur since 2019. Its next factory there is planned to add 2,00,000 a year from early 2030.