Kia sales rise 124%

MANILA, Philippines — The local unit of South Korea’s Kia Motors more than doubled its sales in 2019 on strong demand for its vehicle line-up.

In a statement, Kia Philippines said it sold 5,019 vehicles last year, 124 percent higher than the 2,238 units in 2018.

It said last year’s performance falls within its adjusted sales target of 5,000 to 5,100 units.

Kia Philippines initially set a 10,000 unit sales goal last year but revised the target to 5,000 to 5,100 units amid stiff competition in the automotive market.

Driving the sales performance last year was the Soluto sub-compact sedan, which accounted for 51 percent of total sales.

This was followed by the K2500 light duty truck with a 21 percent share, Grand Carnival multi-purpose vehicle with 13 percent, and the Seltos crossover with seven percent.

Other vehicles in the Kia line-up which also contributed to the sales performance are the Stinger, Sorento, Sportage, Forte, Rio and Picanto.

Kia Philippines president Manny Aligada said the company is pleased with the performance of the brand which was relaunched in the market last year as part of the Ayala Group.

“As we enter 2020, Kia Philippines looks forward to surpassing its record with new vehicle introductions, the opening of new dealerships, and better after – sales services,” he said.

Earlier, Aligada said Kia Philippines is hopeful sales this year could reach at least 8,000 units up to 10,000 units.

At present, Kia Philippines has 33 dealerships nationwide.