2010 Was a Record Year for Kia

Last year was a good one for Kia Motors Corporation as it not only surpassed 2 million car sales globally, but also expanded its market share in areas like China, North America, Europe and Korea. Total figures for passenger cars (export sales, domestic sales and sales from overseas plants), recreational vehicles (RVs) and commercial vehicles for 2010 reached an all-time high of 2,089,355 units.

This makes the South Korean carmaker one of the world's fastest growing manufacturers of automobiles. The biggest improvement in one single large market came from China, where 354,944 units were sold, up 38.3% from 2009’s result. North American roads saw 410,150 new Kia vehicles arriving, a 18.5% year-on-year increase, while in Europe the company reports sales of 391,755 units, a 18.1% annual increase. On home ground, in Korea, the carmaker sold some 484,512 units or 17.4% more than in 2009.

“All of us at Kia Motors are encouraged to have ended 2010 by setting a new all-time global sales mark of in excess of 2 million vehicles.  Despite the fact that the global economic recovery is still unfolding at a slow pace, we look forward to maintaining our momentum in 2011 as we push forward with our ongoing aggressive new product launch cycle with the introduction of the next generation Picanto A-segment and Rio B-segment volume sellers later this year,” announced Thomas Oh, Senior Executive Vice President & COO, Kia Motors Corporation.

The 2010 C-segment Cerato, also known as the Forte in some markets, was the global best-seller, with 484,512 units. The Sportage an Rio followed with 207,922 and 205,351 units sold, respectively. The top five is rounded up by the Sorento mid-size CUV with 174,892 units sold in fourth place and Kia Soul in fifth with 135,407 buyers worldwide.