Kia's unprecedented sales growth continues - Sales up 61.1% in December

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Jan. 5 /CNW/ - Phenomenal sales results for 2009 legitimized Kia Canada as a serious contender in the Canadian automotive landscape. With its best December showing in the company's ten year history, Kia Canada sold 2,645 new vehicles and posted a 61.1% increase in sales over December last year. As a result Kia Canada increased its market share to 2.4% for the month compared to 1.7% in December 2008 . December also marked Kia Canada's twelfth month of record breaking sales increases for 2009. With this accomplishment, Kia Canada has surpassed all previous year-to-date sales results, reaching 46,118 units in 2009, with market share rising to 3.2% versus 2.3% in 2008 CY. On a year-to-date basis Kia Canada's sales are 22.9% higher than 2008 sales through December.

Kia's success is predicated not only on new product - like the Soul, Forte and Koup which have clearly resonated with consumers - but also on the tried and tested cars in its line up. The Soul has sold 8,500 units in just 10 full months of retail sales. The Forte family has recorded 5,700 sales in just seven full months of retail, and when viewed in combination with Spectra this has given Kia Canada 7,761 sales in the compact segment - a 53% increase in segment growth versus 2008. Continuing its strong performance in 2009, the Rio had the best year in its history, breaking the 10,000 unit barrier for the first time ever and was the only carline in the Subcompact segment to show growth in 2009, increasing Kia Canada's share from 6.9% in 2008 to 9.5% in 2009. Rondo matched its 2008 performance and narrowly missed achieving 10,000 unit sales. The Sedona held its position as one of the best offerings in its class.

"We were pleased with our performance in 2009, especially given the pressures on Canadian consumers during the difficult down market," said Maria Soklis, Vice-President and COO of Kia Canada . "Kia has worked very hard to transform customer perceptions of our brand with the result that Kia is now being recognized for its design excellence and quality. The significant inroads we have made in these two areas have greatly contributed to our success. We hope to build on this strong momentum with the launch of the all new Sorento, this month, which is poised to aggressively compete with the best in both the compact and intermediate SUV segments."

    
    Quick Facts

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    Month           2009      2008  % Change                   Notes
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    January        1,825     1,808      0.9%
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    February       2,221     2,195      1.2%
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    March          3,555     3,157     12.6%
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    April          4,276     3,719     15.0%                 Best April Ever
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    May            5,032     4,010     25.5%                   Best May Ever
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    June           5,200     3,772     37.9%        Second consecutive month
                                                        surpassed 5,000 mark
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    July           5,110     3,942     29.6%         Third consecutive month
                                                        surpassed 5,000 mark
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    August         4,672     3,875     20.6%                Best August Ever
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    September      4,515     3,772     19.7%             Best September Ever
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    October        3,603     2,925     23.2%    Eighth month of double digit
                                                                      growth
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    November       3,464     2,703     28.2%     Ninth month of double digit
                                                                      growth
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    December       2,645     1,642     61.1%
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    YTD           46,118    37,520     22.9%
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Kia Canada Inc. (http://www.kia.ca) - is a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) in Korea. Founded in Canada in 1999, Kia Canada Inc. sells and services high quality class leading vehicles like the Soul and Forte through a network of 165 dealers nationwide. Kia Canada Inc. employs 134 people in its Mississauga, Ontario headquarters and four regional offices across Canada .

For further information: Kia Canada Inc. Media Contact: Shelley Tavener, Public Relations Manager, Tel: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]