EUROPEAN SALES 2015 - Kia see's 2015 out with a record sales year with nearly 400,000 sales.

• 384,790 cars sold, representing year-on-year growth of 8.8%
• Continuous yearly sales growth for Kia in Europe since 2008
• Rise in sales for best-selling Sportage and new Sorento SUV

Kia Motors Europe recorded its best-ever full year sales in 2015, according to the latest data from ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association).

With 384,790 units sold in 2015*, Kia’s full-year sales figures represent year-on-year growth of 8.8%, increasing from 353,719 units in 2014. The Korean brand has now recorded rising sales every year in Europe since 2008.

Kia Motors Europe had already achieved sales of more than 200,000 in the first half of 2015 for the first time in the company’s history.

In addition to this, Kia Motors UK continues to hold the biggest market share in Europe, as well as one of the top five worldwide. At the end of 2015, KMUK achieved total sales of 78,489 units, making up 20.4% of the total European figure.

Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motors Europe, commented: “It’s been another great year for Kia in Europe, and it’s clear that our organic growth strategy is paying off. European motorists are coming to Kia each year in greater numbers, thanks to our comprehensive model range which offers outstanding design and top product quality, sold through a dealer network which boasts consistently high levels of customer care.”

Cole added: “We have bold plans for 2016, a year which will see us introduce the first of our next-generation low emissions vehicles as part of a long-term plan to lower our fleet emissions and further reduce the environmental impact of our product line-up. These new models will play an important role in our plan for further sustainable growth across Europe.”

The Kia Sportage compact SUV – the brand’s bestselling model in Europe – continued to post record sales throughout 2015, enjoying the best-ever 12-month period in the model’s history in the region. Sales of the Sportage, which is due to be replaced by the fourth-generation Sportage early in 2016, rose by 8.0% to 105,317 units in 2015 – the first time Kia Motors Europe has sold more than 100,000 Sportage models in a year. The Kia Sportage is manufactured at the company’s production facility in Žilina, Slovakia.

The Kia Sorento SUV also proved increasingly popular with European buyers, with 14,183 sold in 2015, more than any other year in which the Sorento has been on sale.

The hotly-contested A- and B-segments also proved important for Kia’s sales growth throughout 2015, with recent upgrades to the Kia Picanto, Rio and Venga resulting in strong sales growth throughout the year. Sales of the Picanto rose by 5.1% (53,717 units), while the B-segment Rio (64,175 units, +9.3%) and European-manufactured Venga (28,489 units, +11.5%) each enjoyed their best-ever annual sales.

Every model in Kia’s European line-up is sold with the brand’s unique seven year, 100,000 mile warranty.