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Kia sales July 2012
Kia Motors America (KMA) have been setting a torrid sales pace as of late, breaking records with each and every passing month.
That trend continued with the release of the July sales figures, which once again set the bar higher than the month before. The 48,074 units sold and 5.6% increase over the same period last year marks the 23rd consecutive month that the Korean automakers have improved on the previous month’s numbers.
Perhaps more remarkable than those single month numbers are what KMA have done to date this year. As the automaker enters the third quarter of 2012, they find themselves a staggering 15.9% ahead in total sales over last year.
A big part of that sales success comes from the impressive numbers posted by the US-built Sorento CUV, the Optima midsize sedan, and the incredibly popular and sporty Soul.
Those big numbers are a sure sign of consumer approval, but Kia is also enjoying a lot of love from the critics too.
The aforementioned Optima and Soul were both listed as the most appealing vehicles in research put together by J.D. Power and Associates’ Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study.
Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and KMMG said that Kia are very proud at having captured their 23rd month of improved growth as it highlighted the strides that the company have made in building customer loyalty.
He went on to say that every vehicle in the Kia lineup has been designed to not only meet, but exceed the high expectations that the average car buyer has when purchasing a new vehicle.
He also felt that the accolades awarded by J.D. Power & Associates went a long way to confirming what Kia owners already know about the vehicles in the lineup, whilst also attracting potential new customers to Kia showrooms across the country.
Update: Kia sets an annual sales record in the USA – Kia sales 2012
July 2012 Kia sales by model:
Sportage sales continue to disappoint
Really not sure why the Sportage is so low… is it a supply issue or just unpopular?
A bit of both.
The Sportage was designed for the overseas market (Europe, etc.) and so is a bit smaller than the CR-V, RAV-4, etc. – which is why the Sorento gets the bulk of the sales.
The Sportage, however is pretty popular overseas (esp. in Europe), so Kia has to be careful in allocating supplies of the Sportage (Kia lost some sales in places like South Africa b/c there was a 5-6 month wait).
For the Sportage’s refresh, Kia needs to smooth out the ride and add some softtouch materials to the dash.
They also need a full size/3 row CUV, but that’ll probably won’t happen until the next gen Sorento (which will probably get a LWB version like the new Santa Fe).
The new Forte (esp. when the entire Forte lineup is redone w/ the Koup and hatch variants) should really kick up sales for Kia, and that will be followed by the addition of the Cadenza and the new minivan replacement.
Ooooooh boy and when the all new 2013 Soul debut about this time next year as a 2014 model with the Kia Trackster traits and also whats other models may spawn from that-nice. Kia is so far ahead of the game-and also Hyundai 4 sure.
The Sportage is overpriced. You can get a fully loaded Soul with Leather, Navi, and sunroof for the same price as a base Sportage. You can get the larger Sorento for the same price after incentives. There is really nothing compelling about the Sportage when compared to the Sorento or Soul – except the turbo.
Not sure if its “off topic” but in regards to sales, HKAG better address both its Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent and do something quick about their sub-par Fuel Economy. I know PBS did a segment on Auto Week where they “claimed” that the 2012 Kia Rio5 that they put through the paces got unbelievable gas mileage. They are a very reputable site but they seem to be the only ones that reported good numbers. By and large, everyone I have spoken with (dozens of owners) of these vehicles (all) report the same disappointing gas mileage. The nonsense that the Kia Dealers are peddling that gas mileage will improve after its (broken in) and significant mileage is driven. What`s significant? 8K, 12K or 50K? Over 7000 miles driven on my Rio in the past 10 months has`nt improved mpg whatsoever! Funny, my 2011 Ford Fiesta SE Hatchback produced 33-35 mpg city and 41-43 mpg highway from Day 1! For a Sub-Compact B-Segment vehicle that was given EPA numbers of 30 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, and combined average of 33 mpg, no way! How about 27 mpg city (if your real careful) and 33 mpg highway, attempting not to go over 65 mph. NIce looking car, peppy, quite comfortable, reasonably priced, but no gas sipper for sure!
It seems that Phil is satisfied with his Rio in every other way. There is only ONE plant that builds the Soul – the same plant that builds the general market Sportage. Soul production and sales have SIGNIFICANTLY increased over the last year. The Soul takes precedence over the Sportage – they build more of Souls because it is a MUCH more important segment. The Soul and Sportage plant also is choked with production of the Rondo, commercial trucks, military vehicles and busses. Why don’t you take a look at global production numbers for each plant? Also, the plant that builds the Forte has a higher build capacity – the largest capacity of all Kia’s plants – without having to produce the NA market Sorento and Optima, they can open up more resources for the Cadenza, Quoris, and new Forte. The Rio is built at a different plant, which also is struggling to meet global demand – luckily this plant is getting upgraded before the new Sedona starts production there. It is HIGHLY apparent that you know absolutely nothing about logistics. Please go troll on Mazda forums. I bet the EPA audit spanks their Skyactiv MPG numbers, anyway. GM and Ford are probably going to take a big hit, too.
Disregard what I said a moment ago, I misinterpreted the data. Kia actually built about 2,000 MORE Sportages last month than they did Souls. See, global Sportage demand is HUGE. The US, middle east, latin America, Africa, Korea, and Asia Pacific all are competing for the Korea plant’s Sportages. Since there is a bigger demand for the Soul in the US, the US is allocated more Souls. Demand is bigger for the Sportage in other markets, especially the middle east, so those markets (where the Sportage is more expensive, meaning Kia makes more profit on them) are where the Sportages are exported. Sportage production in Slovakia has been bigger than cee’d production by 25,000 units – and that is only for the Europe market! So, the Sportage may not be popular or available in the US, but it is BEYOND popular in every other world market, and there isn’t nearly enough production capacity to meet demand. So, the US loses out. Simple as that.