Kia records best march sales ever

• Kia sales in March reach 12,608 - a new one month record
• Best first quarter since 2010 scrappage peak with 19,204 sales
• Sportage most popular Kia with 5,237 sold during first quarter

Kia set a new record for sales in the UK during March with 12,608 vehicles delivered to customers - helping the brand to its best first quarter result since the height of the Government's scrappage scheme in 2010.

With 19,204 vehicles registered in the first three months Kia captured a 3.17 per cent share of the new car market - up by almost 12 per cent against 2012. The March month figures showed a near 13 per cent increase against 2012's figure of 11,178.

Kia's bestselling car in the first quarter - for the first time - was the Slovakian-built Sportage, followed closely by Picanto, Rio and cee'd.

President and Chief Executive of Kia Motors (UK) Limited, Paul Philpott said: "this is a fantastic result for Kia and its dealer network and is the culmination of a lot of hard work by our dealers. At a time when there is still a lot of uncertainty over big ticket item spending our performance shows the importance of good quality product with a still-untouchable seven year warranty delivered by dealers who care about their customers.

"I am particularly pleased that the March results simply add to our success this year as a whole. This has been our best first quarter since 2010 when the market was aided by the scrappage incentive that encouraged a lot of people to trade in old cars at a very advantageous price. As we come out of a long recession to get close to those numbers is extremely encouraging and shows the importance of ensuring that we and our dealers work hand in hand to deliver what the customer truly wants," he added.