Kia sold 50,000 cars in the UK for the first time as scrappage incentives continue to benefit the industry.
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This was the first time any Kia subsidiary in the UK or Europe has reached the landmark and, including scrappage, market share was 2.5%, while non-scrappage share was 2.2%. Sales reached 50,636 vehicles in 2009 compared with 31,283 in 2008.
The brand’s previous best year was 2004, when 33,149 vehicles were sold.
“Undoubtedly we have benefited from the government’s scrappage scheme,” said Kia Motors (UK) managing director Michael Cole. “But retail non-scrappage performance was up – and that comes on top of an improved performance in 2008 when Kia was one of very few brands to end a year, that saw the start of the recession, in positive territory.
“The scrappage scheme has helped our dealers and their employees to keep going in the face of considerable difficulties.”
Kia’s best selling vehicle last year was the Picanto with 16,803 sales.
“[This year] will clearly be more difficult in overall terms because of the end of the scrappage scheme,” added Cole.
Kia recently extended its limited seven-year warranty to all models and will launch the new Venga next month.
Although it expects the overall market to drop in 2010, it expects to hold on to its markt share gain and is forecasting over 40,000 sales.
“I believe that figure might be conservative,” said Cole.
