Kia Aiming to Double Sales by 2010
Kia, Hyundai's neglected smaller brother, plans to double their non-Korean sales by 2010 (!) to 1.9 million. How? Good question (I'm glad I asked). The Cee'd– a Golf competitor with a daft, sexually ambiguous name– has received solid reviews in Europe. Stateside sales continue to be… adequate. Plans for a Kia pickup truck were recently, wisely, cancelled. Fortunately for Kia, their Georgia (the y'all state, not the Central Asian country) manufacturing facility comes on line soon, Kia can then expand beyond America's import cap and take advantage of our not-so-hot currency. In truth, Kia is a brand in search of identity. While the Koup concept was a nice try at sportiness, Hyundai is the company that gets to do smoke-filled donuts on stage at the NY Auto Show. And the Optima sedan is still underpowered compared to the Sonata. But hey, whatever. Considering the affordability and relative fuel efficiency of their American lineup, Kia's continued growth is a possibility. Probably. Maybe. Eventually. Later soon.
Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.
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That might be able to disinguish themselves if the market here continues to gravitate toward smaller cars. If they introduced something in the under one litre class, Kia only, they might be able to establish a niche. Steven Lang, I'd be very interested in seeing that compilation.
I'm interested, too. "Cee'd"? Where did they get such a weird name? Maybe it's a Klingon word.
Kia, like Hyundai, actually builds very goods cars now. Their problem is IMAGE! Hyundai is still fighting that same battle, although the current Sonata and Azera have helped them gain significant ground. When they first came to the U.S. market, it was with sub-standard cars at dirt cheap prices. They sold those cars to lower income buyers who often couldn't/didn't spend time or money to properly maintain them. As used cars, nobody wanted them! Mitsubishi has spent years trying to repair (or create) their image. For years, all of their vehicles were inferior to all of the other Japanese competitors. To boost sales, they started financing anyone who dared to enter a showroom (rumors have persisted that they didn't even bother pulling credit reports). Sales shot up and you only had to go to the nearest trailer park or government-assisted housing project to spot countless new Mitsubishis. Their short-sightedness failed to consider the effect this would have on future sales to the average middle-class buyer!
KIA I S DISRESPECTFUL COMPANY. THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY CUSTOMER CARE. I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT THEM FOR 2 MONTHS BY MAIL ANND PHONE FOR A COMPLAINT BUT NO ONE CARES