As the second half of 2014 gets underway, AutoTalk spoke to Kia on a bumper first half, which Kia hopes will continue into the second half of 2014 despite the Soul being a hard sell in Australia.
Kia Motors has taken out two more International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the transportation category for both the GT4 Stinger concept vehicle and 2014 Soul.
The Industrial Designers Society of America presented Kia with two IDEAs awards in the Silver and Bronze honours, respectively.
“The award is a recognition that what is being done is being done well. If you are designing a stylish car that is functional, safe, has good value and is fun to drive, then you have ticked all the boxes,” Kia Australia general manager, media and corporate communications, Kevin Hepworth told AutoTalk.
He says that there is a direct correlation, from the moment Peter Schreyer was named president and chief design officer of Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor Group, with a rise in sales figures in Australia and globally.
“Since 2008 when Kia became a manufacturer/importer we began focussing on good cars and good value, we appointed Schreyer and it coincided with the start in increases in sales numbers. In 2010 Kia sales increased substantially and since then it has been fairly steady,” says Hepworth.
In regards to the Kia Soul, Hepworth says it has been a hard sell in Australia. “The Kia Soul is very niche in Australia, we sell around 20 units a month on average, until the end of June 2014 we have sold 143.”
“Where it is a huge seller is in the US. There are a few factors as to why this has happened. When it was launched it was aimed specifically at the US university crowd, which is much more cashed up than their counterparts in Australia. It was launched in Australia with the same purpose but it wasn’t accepted, there was a repositioning made and the new model released this year is doing much better,” says Hepworth.
“It is also finding a more mature audience, not just the younger university crowd. It is gaining ground with a more mature crowd and with families who live in the city and who don’t want a big SUV or large car.”
Current models are selling for $23,990 for the manual version and $25,990 for the auto version.
Hepworth believes Kia Australia is on track to sell over 30,000 units for 2014. “It will be close to our record figure of over 31,000 units from a few years ago. We think we will get close to that record,” Hepworth adds.
“At the end of the year we will release the Kia Rio with a facelift, and then in early 2015 we will release the all new Carnival and all new Sorento, in the first quarter.”
In the USA, Kia recently released a recall on 52,000 2014 Kia Soul vehicles manufactured from July 21, 2013 until January 17, 2014.
In the affected vehicles, the plug that secures the pinion gear to the steering gear assembly may loosen due to an improper application of thread-locking adhesive during the assembly process. As a result, the pinion gear can separate from the steering gear assembly, causing a loss of steering, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
“The recall won’t affect Australia as it doesn’t affect right hand drive markets,” says Hepworth.
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