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Kia Motors America claims 15th year of increased market share

Tire Business staff report

DETROIT (Jan. 12, 2010) — As U.S. auto makers, with the exception of Ford Motor Co., continue to struggle post-bankruptcy, Kia Motors America (KMA) said today that its market share in the U.S. has increased for the 15th consecutive year.

The car company, a subsidiary of Seoul, South Korea-based Kia Motors Corp., reported its market share gained more than 46 percent over 2008. Kia said that increase was fueled by a “record-selling 2009 that saw the brand surpass many popular nameplates.” KMA’s 2009 sales of 300,063 units represents a 9.8-percent improvement over the previous year, “despite the auto industry’s overall negative performance and the challenging economic conditions,” the firm said.

Helping KMA was the introduction of four all-new vehicles—the Soul, Forte, Forte Koup and 2011 Sorento—that “attracted new and more affluent customers to its showrooms and began changing perception of the brand with their combination of dramatic styling, fun-to-drive performance, advanced technology features and outstanding value,” according to the company.

Last November Kia Motors began production at its first manufacturing plant in the U.S., a 2,200-acre complex in West Point, Ga., where the car maker’s first U.S.-built vehicle, the Sorento, rolled off the production line at its Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia unit. The plant is expected to produce 300,000 vehicles at full capacity and employ 2,500 workers, with on-site and nearby suppliers creating 7,500 additional jobs in the region, Kia said.

The company added that Kia Motors is one of only three manufacturers to post a sales increase in 2009.