Kia Expects for 2009 at Least the Same Sales as in 2008

2008 was the first year that felt the pressure of the economic recession, with automakers reporting good sales in the first half and very poor figures in the second. This obviously resulted in disappointing figures for the whole year, with analysts predicting even more decreases this year. However, Kia is confident it can achieve at least the same sales figures as in 2008, despite all these gloomy predictions.

Kia president Chung Eui-sun said on Tuesday that the South Korean manufacturer targets sales of 1.4 million units this year, which is almost the same level as in 2008. Is that possible? you might ask. Well, Kia says yes and, in order to achieve this enthusiastic goal, it will rely on all kind of cost-cutting measures.

More importantly, figures of both Kia and its parent company Hyundai are fairly encouraging, with Hyundai Motor America delivering a total of 40,721 vehicles in March, down 5 percent from the same month of 2008 but up 33 percent over February levels.

Furthermore, Kia delivered a total of 24,724 units in the United States, an increase of 12 percent compared to February 2009 and, more importantly, up 1 percent over the same period last year.

"We are satisfied with our overall performance in this difficult business climate," said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America vice president of national sales.

"The fact that we experienced only a nominal decline from an all-time March sales record in 2008 is acceptable to us. Even with continued economic stress and industry uncertainty, this performance is a clear indication that the Hyundai brand is sustaining its momentum and expanding its relevance."