Kia Sales Surpass Half-Million Mark in U.K.
Executive Summary
The first Kia launched in the U.K. was the Pride in 1991. The auto maker sold 1,786 units that year and reached the 100,000 mark three years later.
Kia’s record 5,604 deliveries in May push the Korean brand over the 500,000-unit mark since it debuted on the U.K. market in 1991.
With year-to-date sales up 10.6% from like-2012 to a record 30,441 units, Kia U.K. President and CEO Paul Philpott credits the growth in recent years to a combination of great new products and changing perceptions of the brand.
“We predict that we will achieve 1 million registrations in the U.K. before the end of the decade, and our long-term ambition is to become a top-five-volume car brand in the UK,” he says in a statement. “Considering that our year-to-date sales equal our entire annual performance from just five years ago, I am confident we will get there.”
The first Kia launched in the U.K. was the Pride in 1991, the auto maker’s original A-segment car and predecessor to the current Picanto. Kia sold 1,786 units that year and reached the 100,000 mark three years later. The 250,000th vehicle was sold in 2008.
