Kia May sales jump 44% in UAE

Thursday, Jun 10, 2010

Gulf News

Dubai Kia Motors Corporation said its global sales in May increased 23 per cent year-on-year to 175,098 units.

In the UAE, May sales increased 44 per cent compared to the same time last year, said Amie Rameesh, Product Manager at Kia in the UAE.

"In the first five months of 2010, we crossed over 3,000 units," he told Gulf News yesterday. This is a 14 per cent increase compared to the first five months of 2009.

Rameesh said the main reason behind this increase in the UAE market is the introduction of the new Kia models.

This year the company is launching three brand new models.

"This has helped Kia increase its market share," he said.

Another reason behind the increase is the fact that Kia is cutting prices. The company is currently selling the Kia Sportage at a special price. "We want to make way for the new Kias by clearing the older models," he said. "We will drop prices by Dh4,000."

Kia's current market share in the UAE is 6.8 per cent, he said. "We are aiming for a 7.4 per cent by the end of the year, but we don't know how it's going to roll out."

It's still hard for buyers to get access to loans, which is making it harder to sell, Rameesh pointed out.

"It's not as accessible and as free as it was in 2008, but we're definitely doing much better than in 2009."

By Samia Badih