Kia year-on-year sales grew by 124% in 2019

MANILA: Right from the day when Kia Philippines went hand in hand with Ayala, the South Korean automaker has been enjoying its new journey in the country. So much so that the year-on-year sales figures for the automobile manufacturer went up by as much as 124% in 2019. Kia went on to launch new models, update the existing lineup, and use interesting marketing tactics to allure the Filipinos. And guess what? It all has worked out in favour of the automaker.

Thanks to the products like the all-new sedan Soluto, the minivan Grand Carnival, freshly-arrived compact SUV Seltos, and the light-duty truck K2500, Kia Philippines managed to sell 5,019 units throughout 2019. In comparison, the automaker could only trade 2,238 vehicles in 2018. Speaking more on the contribution of various Kia models to the surge in the sales figures, the Soluto, Grand Carnival, Seltos, and the K2500 grabbed a share of 51%, 13%, 7%, and 21%, respectively.

"We are pleased with the strong performance of Kia Philippines in 2019. As we enter 2020, Kia Philippines looks forward to surpassing its record with new vehicle introductions, the opening of new dealerships, and better aftersales services. As 2019 was the year to stabilize, 2020 onwards would be growth years. Priorities include 1) dealer development to include improvement of current ones and expansion to new areas where we do not have presence, 2) improvement of the customer experience for sales and after-sales and parts, 3) continued product offering via new model introductions and enhancement of existing ones, 4) continued offers of financial bundles for easy ownership", said Kia president Manny Aligada while speaking to CARMUDI Philippines.

It hasn't been too long since the Kia Seltos, a stunning looking compact SUV, was launched in the country. And, the SUV has already started tasting success and is following the footprints of the Kia Soluto very well. The compact SUV features LED headlamps with LED DRLs, LED taillights, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, automatic climate control, keyless smart entry with push-button start/stop, and other creature comforts.

On the mechanical front, the Kia Seltos houses a 2.0-litre Dual CVVT engine that is capable of producing 149 PS of maximum power and a peak torque of 179 Nm. The power is then sent to the front wheels via an Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT), which also features the Drive Mode Select.

With the year 2019 done and dusted now, Kia expects to emulate the same success in 2020 as well.

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