Kia continues to improve on sales for H1 2014.

• 85,882 (+5.5 percent) Kia cars sold across Europe to the end of June
• Kia’s sales volumes have increased every year since 2008
• Sportage and cee’d remain the brands bestsellers across the continent

Kia’s new car registrations in Europe have exceeded 180,000 in the first six months of the year for the first time. The brand remains on course for another record year according to the latest vehicles sales data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.

Kia Motors Europe recorded sales of 185,882 units in the first half of 2014, representing a growth of 5.5 percent. This constant level of progress means Kia continues to match the rate of growth in a fast-recovering European new car market, which recorded a 6.2 percent year-on-year rise in the first six months of the year. Kia has seen sales volumes increase every year since 2008. Kia’s largest market in Europe remains the United Kingdom, with over 40,000 cars sold so far this year.

Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer at Kia Motors Europe said “The latest sales figures show that Kia is on course to maintain its long-term trend for growth across Europe, which has driven our market share up from 1.7 percent to 2.7 percent in just over five years.

“This is the best first-half sales performance that the brand has ever recorded in Europe, and our exciting design-led product range and high level of customer care continue to win and retain new customers across the region,” he added.

Kia’s bestselling models so far this year are the recently-upgraded Sportage (49,987 units – a rise of 17 percent compared to the same period in 2013) and the cee’d model family – incorporating hatchback, wagon and pro_ceed (40,624 units), both of which are manufactured at Kia’s plant in Žilina, Slovakia. The Kia Rio (31,149) and Picanto (27,290) both produced in Korea, also remain popular with European buyers.