Kia Keeps Making The Hard Yards

SYDNEY – May 4, 2011: Kia Motors Australia has punched in a record monthly market share as the world’s fastest-growing manufacturer continues its month-on-month sales growth in a contacting Australian new car market.

Kia’s April market share of 2.71 per cent is the highest the company has recorded since the formation of the KMAu organisation in 2006.

“That is a wonderful result for Kia in what is, and is likely to remain, a difficult market,” KMAu Chief Operating Officer Tony Barlow said. “It is not only pleasing that we were able to maintain growth in a new car market that is down 8.8 per cent on the same month last year, but the growth was across almost every model in the range.

“There is no doubt the rest of the year will have its own challenges, but with an all-new Rio on the horizon and the promise of a slight freeing-up of supply for the second half of the year it augers well for Kia.”

Cerato was one of the stars of the month with demand for the new hatch pushing sales up more than 48 per cent year-to-date while buyers have also started to rediscover the Rondo compact people mover with a steady 22.7 per cent rise in year-to-date sales.

Kia’s Carnival, the perennial market leader in the large people mover segment, made it business as usual with a 41 per cent share of the market and a healthy 35.4 per cent year-to-date growth.

Other members of the Kia garage to punch above the market rate were Sorento (up 11.9 per cent), Sportage (up 9.3 per cent) and Soul (7.4 per cent increase).

Kia’s latest style hero, the mid-size Optima, continued with demand outstripping supply as has been the case since the car was launched to rave reviews in January.

“Increasingly we are seeing evidence of the purchase of Kia vehicles becoming desire driven rather than simply price driven,” Mr Barlow said. “That has been the case with Sportage, Sorento and Optima in particular _ and with the arrival of the all-new Rio in the second half of the year it is a trend we believe will only gather momentum.”