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NEWS
Kia still aiming for five per cent share
Existing products to drive 50,000-plus Kia sales by 2015, with a compact SUV to comeKia has restated its target to snare a five per cent share of Australia’s new-vehicle market by 2015, but now says that will be achieved on the back of existing, redesigned or previously announced new models.
That means that if an all-new B-segment baby-crossover eventuates following the world debut of a small SUV concept at next month’s Frankfurt motor show (as previewed on August 9), it will not arrive here before 2016.
As we reported from the Cerato hatchback launch last week, Kia Australia will introduce its new Koup in October, including its first turbo-petrol sports model, plus the facelifted Optima sedan in November, the new Soul by early next year, the Pro_cee’d GT hot hatch in the first quarter and the redesigned Carnival people-mover in late 2014.
Kia Australia Chief Operating Officer Tony Barlow said those models are expected to drive sales of at least 50,000 sales and account for five per cent of the market by mid-decade, which would be up from a best of 30,758 sales set last year (up 22 per cent).
“Obviously, the Cerato hatch is a substantial opportunity for us to build our profile and sales in Australia,” he said.
To July this year 17,680 Kia sales represents a 2.6 per cent decline on the same period last year, but Barlow said Kia would still increase sales in 2013, thanks to new models led by the Cerato hatch.
“We’re hitting our business plan, month in month out,” he said. “We’re looking for a strong second half – we’ll finish the year up and the Cerato hatch will play a big part in that.”
The previous five-door accounted for up to 70 per cent of all Ceratos sold and the new hatch will compete in the same small hatch market that last year comprised 61 per cent of the 252,000 sales in the small car class – Australia’s largest single vehicle sales category.
Arriving two months overdue and four months after the local Cerato sedan launch due to production delays, the new Cerato hatch will be aimed at style-conscious metropolitan buyers, which are expected to account for 72 per cent of buyers.
Kia Australia expects 60 per cent of Cerato hatch buyers to be female, 72 per cent to have no kids and 71 per cent to be married. Like the Cerato sedan, the hatch will be the subject of outdoor, press, “high impact” digital and TV advertising with the theme: “Never an uncomfortable moment”.
“Nothing bad happens in a Cerato,” said Kia Australia General Manager – Marketing, Steve Watt, who added that research shows only one-third of small hatch buyers consider themselves car enthusiasts.
Kia says no diesel engine is currently fitted in the Cerato and that the Hyundai-Kia group’s 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine would be limited in the Kia range to the upcoming Koup and next year’s three-door Pro_cee’d GT hot hatch, which will initially be a manual-only model.
The latter will follow the Sportage as Kia Australia’s second model to be produced in Slovakia, and Kia says the Cerato’s newly announced five-star ANCAP safety rating will lead to more government fleet sales.
“We’ll sell every car we can get from Korea,” said Barlow, who again ruled out an Australian future for the pint-size Picanto city-car until at least late 2015 – when a new generation is expected to arrive following its late-2014 global reveal.
“We said we’d revisit after 12 months of (new) Rio sales, but I think the Rio’s doing the job for us,” he said.
Barlow said next year’s new Carnival would complete the total renewal of the Kia model range, but added that: “We may have a few more surprises in the mix later on”.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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