Global gloom no match for Kia

KIA Motors grew sales and market share in key markets – including Korea, the US and China – in February as it continued to fend off the global financial crisis.

Like parent company Hyundai, Korea’s second biggest motor manufacturer swam against the economic tide with the help of sharply styled new models, including the mid-sized Kia Cerato.

Globally, Kia’s year-on-year February sales were down only 0.3 per cent, to 102,667 vehicles, according to figures released in Seoul.

In its Korean home market, Kia posted a 13.5 per cent sales rise, to 27,056 units, while in the US, where the overall market slumped 41 per cent in February, Kia registered a 0.5 per cent sales rise, to 24,294 units.

In China, Kia February sales were up 3.3 per cent to 11,126 vehicles, while in the Middle East and Africa, Kia volumes surged 83.9 per cent to 13,933 units.

Australia was one of the few markets where Kia sales declined, down 9.5 per cent to 1497 units. Year to date, Kia’s Australian sales were down 19.8 per cent to the end of February, in line with the overall market decline of 20.2 per cent.

Top: Kia Cerato. Below: Kia Soul.

Kia Cerato sales in Australia were up almost 40 per cent compared with February last year, while its best seller, the Rio, was up 6.7 per cent, to 809 units, making it the fifth top-selling car in the light segment for the month.

Kia’s Australian showroom ranks will be bolstered by the funky mini crossover hatchback, the Soul, in April, plus the second-generation Sorento mid-sized SUV later in the year.

The second-generation Sorento – based on a car-like monocoque body instead of the previous ladder frame chassis – can’t come soon enough for Kia Motors Australia, as sales of the old model are down 58.5 per cent for the first two months of this year.

The Soul, which made its Australian premiere at the Melbourne motor show, features Kia’s new corporate design traits, courtesy of former Volkswagen and Audi design Peter Schreyer.

Kia’s parent company, Hyundai, announced a 3.9 per cent decline in global sales in February, but managed to almost match its February 2008 sales in the key US market, where it was down just 0.7 per cent.

In Australia, Hyundai was one of the few companies to gain volume in February, up 3.5 per cent. It increased its share its share from 4.2 per cent in February 2008 to 5.9 per cent this year.

Read more:

Kia officially reveals next Sorento

First look: New Kia mini-MPV and Sorento emerge