Kia recorded its highest ever share of the European new car market in 2020 – and the UK led the way as the brand’s best-performing market in the region.
Registrations across Europe were down, but Kia still outperformed the market and recorded one of its highest-ever annual increases.
Kia took a 3.5 percent share of the overall European new car market… and in the UK, grew its share to a record high of 4.3 percent.
More than 70,000 new Kias were sold in the UK last year, representing 17 percent of all the firm’s European sales.
Over 28,000 were sold once lockdown restrictions lifted during the summer months alone.
Overall, Kia registered 416,715 new cars in Europe. That’s a 17 percent decline over 2019, but still better than the overall 24.3 percent drop in the region.
COO Emilion Herrera said it was thanks to a combination of pent-up demand and the increasing popularity of Kia’s electrified vehicles.
Across Europe, more than 1 in 4 new Kias sold were electrified (hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure electric). In the UK, that figure grew further, to almost 1 in 3 sales.
The Kia Niro range was the second best-selling Kia in Europe, and the second best-selling electrified car in the UK, clocking up more than 18,500 sales.
Every version – hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric – was among the best sellers in its respective powertrain league table.
There’s more to come from Kia from 2021-on, added UK president and CEO Paul Philpott – with the launch of an all-new brand logo and seven pure electric cars between now and 2027.
ALSO READ
Sub-£20k price is ‘sweet spot’ for electric cars
Coronavirus has ‘unprecedented impact’ on 2020 European car sales
