Kia wants to join Europe’s top 10 mainstream brands

2012 Kia Rio
2012 Kia Rio

Kia has some really big goals and with its current lineup, it seems like the brand will have no problem reaching them. One of the most ambitious goals for the Korean automaker is to become Europe’s 10th largest mainstream brand by 2013. To get to that spot, Kia will have to beat its parent Hyundai.

To achieve that goal, Kia will have to increase sales to 450,000 units from 262,627 it hit last year. Hyundai sold a total of 358,284 units in Europe in 2010, up 4.7 percent., according to the European automakers’ association, ACEA.

Can Kia do it? “We have the product, the ambition and the dealer confidence to get there,” Kia Motors Europe Chief Operating Officer Paul Philpott said in an interview with Automotive News Europe. “Our products are now better than our brand recognition.”

Last year, Kia ranked 16 in overall European sales.

2012 Kia Rio:

2012 Kia Rio 2012 Kia Rio

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News