Figures released by the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) show that a 44.9% increase in Kia sales in the first four months of this year has, despite the collapse of Daewoo sales, enabled Korean car makers to take 3% of the 18-country European car market for the first time in more than three years.
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As just-auto reported, in a review of the ACEA figures on May 15, while the whole European car market was down by 3.4% in the first four months of the year, Kia sales of 37,000 were up nearly 70% April on April and 44.9% in the first four months of the year.
Kia’s growth was sufficient to counter the 14% drop in sales by other Korean car makers and to enable Korea to post an increase in its European market share.
In comparison to Kia’s performance, Volkswagen Group sales fell by nearly 6%, BMW sales also declined by 6%, General Motors sales fell more than 2%, Renault recorded an 8.6% decline, Ford dropped 3.5% and Peugeot fell by 7.4% in a market that declined by 3.4%.
