Kia – Winning At Home & Overseas

Kia Motors Manufacturing Slovakia today announced the production of their 1,000,000th car from their factory in Zilina, five years after the first car rolled off their line. The lucky millionth car? A white, diesel-engined cee’d SW. That alone doesn’t really tell the whole story though, so allow me to explain why I think Kia is winning; not just in the UK but overseas too.

The brand which translates roughly to “coming out of Asia” was founded in 1944 and as most manufacturers, didn’t start life off by producing consumer cars – indeed their first appliances were steel tubing and bicycle parts. Their shift to focus on cars happened thirty years later in 1974, but this didn’t catapult them immediately into the limelight – issues in 1997 forced Kia to declare bankruptcy.

The real revolution came through design, and was led through the hire of Peter Schreyer from Audi as Chief Design Officer. Schreyer is responsible for current successes; Sports Utility Vehicles such as the Kia Sportage and Sorento. In 2011, 40% of vehicles produced were Sportages and with the release of the 3-door Kia Rio, things are sure to hot up even more for the Korean manufacturer.

Here’s where I think the brand succeeds – as most manufacturers have realised, design wins hearts. The Sportage is a fantastic examples of relatively inexpensive, functional metal that won’t look like a baboon’s bottom. Cars can be optioned with 2WD or 4x4 capability like most SUVs found on the market today like the Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Qashqai. Additional cues like LED running daylights appeal to young families and a standard 7 year warranty appeals to the wallet.

In Australia, Kia have also made their mark and the 3-letter brand is striding towards gaining market share, away from mid-range SUVs with mid-level badges and giving buyers what they want, for a fraction of the price. All I’m going to say, is watch this space.