Kia surpasses 1 millionth milestone in Latin America

Kia is proudly celebrating surpassing the 1m unit milestone in Latin America. The 1 millionth vehicle was a flexi-fuel Soul Flex, destined for a customer in Brazil.

It all started back in 1977 when Kia made its very first shipment of the 353 Brisa sedans to Costa Rica. Kia exported a total of 1,050 units in this year. In 1994, Kia exceeded its 100,000 units mark, while in 2003, that figure rose to 500,000 units.

Vice President & COO, Thomas Oh, said, “This amazing accomplishment of reaching one million vehicle exports to Latin America is the result of our ceaseless efforts to elevate the level of quality and styling of our product line-up, while tapping into new markets and satisfying the needs of local customers. We plan to actively respond to the growing demand not only in this region but in other emerging markets like China as we further solidify our image as a top global brand.”

Kia is forcefully targeting the Brazilian market in particular which recorded 24,808 sales units in 2009. That figure is expected to increase by 102% this year to reach around 53,000 units. For now, Kia has achieved 10% market share in the Chilean market, 6% market share in Colombia and 21% market share in Paraguay.

Based on this momentum, Kia Motors predicts 2010 sales in Latin America will grow by 75% compared to the previous year to post 136,000 units. Regional market share is also forecast to increase from 1.5% to 2.4% over this same period.