8:38 pm, June 30, 2011
KIA is today celebrating a landmark anniversary – it’s 20 years since its first car went on sale in the UK.
The celebration is timely, says the firm as it is less than a fortnight after the brand’s latest city car, the all-new Picanto, went on sale.
Back in 1991 the Kia Pride was the only Kia model on sale in the UK and the small hatchback went on to find 1,786 British homes in its debut year.
Since then the firm has become a major global brand, and in 2010 recorded its best ever year in the UK with 56,114 vehicles sold – a feat matched at an international level as Kia sold in excess of two million vehicles worldwide for the first time.
Michael Cole, managing director, Kia Motors (UK) Limited, said: ‘Kia has been on quite a phenomenal journey in recent years. In less than two decades we’ve certainly lived up to our ‘Power to Surprise’ slogan by growing from a relatively small importer to challenging the best and most established brands in the industry.”
We think we have a fantastic range of cars and, judging by our growth over the last few years, it seems our customers think so too!
‘2011 is set to be our busiest year yet and I’m confident it’ll be one where we challenge perceptions more than ever as we launch three superb new products in the UK – new Picanto, new Rio and, later in the year, new Kia Optima.’
