Kia India named among India’s best workplaces in automotive

New Delhi: Kia India has just earned itself a rather flattering people report card. The mass-premium carmaker has been recognised among India’s Best Workplaces™ in Automotive 2026 by Great Place To Work® India, a nod to a workplace culture the company has been busy building on trust, collaboration and continuous learning, where employees are pushed to innovate rather than simply clock in.

The recognition piggybacks on Kia India’s second consecutive Great Place To Work® Certification™, secured earlier this year, and reinforces a people-first philosophy the company insists sits alongside its business growth rather than competing with it. Under Great Place To Work® India’s assessment framework, Kia India posted an overall Trust Index™ score of 76 per cent, with 93 per cent employee participation, numbers that suggest the workforce isn’t just tolerating the culture but actively buying into it.

Gwanggu Lee, managing director and chief executive of Kia India, was quick to credit the workforce rather than the boardroom. “Our people have always been the driving force behind Kia India’s remarkable journey,” he said. “Being recognised among India’s Best Workplaces™ in Automotive 2026 is a proud testament to the culture we have built together, one that encourages fresh thinking, continuous learning, mutual respect, and the freedom to make a meaningful impact.” He added that the recognition belonged to every member of the Kia India family, whose commitment continues to shape the organisation’s future.

Balbir Singh, chief executive of Great Place To Work® India, was equally generous with the praise. “This recognition reflects Kia India’s unwavering commitment to building a workplace culture rooted in trust, respect, collaboration, and care for its people,” he said, adding that the company had set a strong benchmark for the automotive industry and commending its leadership and employees alike for the high-trust culture on display.

Kia India isn’t resting on the trophy either, continuing to pour resources into structured learning and development, leadership capability building, employee wellbeing initiatives and communication platforms designed to keep collaboration and innovation flowing. The company’s underlying bet is a simple one: an engaged workforce delivers better customer experiences, and better customer experiences sustain long-term business success.

The wider data backs the theory up. Great Place To Work® India research shows organisations on the Best Workplaces™ list score 89 per cent higher on caring and inspiring leadership, attributes closely tied to stronger engagement, better retention and sharper business performance, while those prioritising the behaviour see 14 per cent higher scores on productivity, retention and customer service.

Kia India’s own numbers tell a growth story to match. Since signing an MOU with the Andhra Pradesh government in April 2017 and commencing mass production at its Anantapur plant in August 2019, the company has built an installed annual capacity of 400,000 units, launched nine models including the Seltos, Syros, Sonet, Carens, Carnival, EV6, EV9, Carens Clavis and the all-new Carens Clavis EV, and dispatched almost 1.9 million vehicles, comprising over 1.5 million domestic sales and more than 3.67 lakh exports. With over 5 lakh connected cars on Indian roads and 891 touchpoints across 402 cities, the carmaker is betting that a happy workforce back home is exactly what keeps that expansion machine humming.