Kia Celebrates Two Decades in the UK

Less than two weeks after the Picanto arrived in the UK, Kia today celebrates 20 years of steady improvements on this market since it landed in Britain on June 30th, 1991. We’ll remind you that Kia Motors is actually a bit older than its subsidiary, having recently celebrated its own 67th anniversary on the May 25th 2011.

Twenty years ago, the Pride you see in image was the only model of Kia available and the small hatchback went on to find 1,786 British homes in its debut year. Since then, sales have picked up a bit, and in 2010 Kia recorded its best ever year in the UK with 56,114 vehicles being delivered.

Early models such as the Pride and first generations of the Sportage crossover and Sedona MPV were known for offering great value for money and brought customers to the brand.  Recent models such as the European designed and manufactured cee’d brought style to the brand and, along with Kia’s industry-leading seven year warranty, have built the South Korean firm a reputation for quality and reliability.

“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,” Commented on Kia’s 20 UK anniversary, Michael Cole, Managing Director, Kia Motors (UK) Limited.

“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,” added Cole.