Kia takes over sales here

13 October 2003: Kia Motors Europe is setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary to sell its cars in Ireland, having come to an agreement with the former franchise holders for the brand, the Harris Group.

The new operation will initially be a branch of Kia Motors UK, but will be staffed by Irish people and will have its own autonomous business plan.

The brand is expecting to sell some 3,000 Kia cars here in 2004, with the help of four new models to be launched in the next few months.

This is against the estimated 1,200 units sold in Ireland this year.

The new models will include the new Picanto A-segment car unveiled at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show (above), as well as a new C-segment car to replace the existing Shuma and Mentor.

The announcement was made in Dublin last weekend, by J C Lievens, vice president of Kia Motors Europe, and Paul Williams, MD of Kia Motors UK.

The new operation plans to increase the dealer network by a third in the next year, and will position the brand as ‘value for money’ but not ‘cheap’. The target buyer segment is young and extrovert, what Mr Lievens called the ‘tennis’ grouping.

©2003 irishcar.com