Kia Celebrates 30 Years of Sales in the UK
Kia have proudly marked their 30th anniversary in the UK as their new car market share reaches a high of 5%.
To celebrate how far they’ve come, they brought all their historic models to the banking at the famous Brooklands motor racing unit, to capture the cars alongside each other.
Kia’s 30-year history in the UK began with the launch of the Kia Pride back in 1991, which recorded just 1,786 sales that year. However, the last three decades have seen the introduction of successive generations of models across a range of vehicle segments. Notable examples include four generations of the brand’s UK best-seller, the Sportage, the Ceed family, the Picanto and Rio, and the high-performance saloon, the Stinger.
Additionally, in more recent years Kia have launched a range of electrified models, including the all-electric e-Niro and two generations of the zero-emissions Soul EV.
Since 1991, over 1.2 million Kia vehicles have been sold in the UK, and Kia are now the most popular they have ever been, with a 5% share of the new market, so far this year.
Improvements in reliability, design and driver engagement over the years have significantly enhanced the Kia brand image. Since 2010, every Kia model sold in the UK has a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty – a quality reassurance stamp for customers.
In January 2020, Kia outlined some ambitious goals – coined Plan S, based around three key pillars:
- A transition to electric power will see the launch of an EV line up of 11 vehicles by 2026. This will include 7 dedicated EV models. Kia hope to achieve 1.6 million eco friendly vehicle sales by 2030, globally.
- A new purpose-built vehicle (PBV) is due for launch in 2022 to strengthen this side of the business. Kia has a target of 1 million global PBV sales by 2030.
- To expand Kia’s role as a mobility services provider, the brand plan to diversify models and services to meet the changing needs of customers.
At the beginning of 2021, Kia revealed a new logo and brand identity – ‘Movement that inspires’. The first models to feature this new logo will arrive in the UK later this year - keep an eye out for these on the roads.
For more information about Kia’s line up, check out the links below: