2020 has been a tough year all around for industries all across the world. The automotive industry in Australia is no different, as can be seen by how sales numbers of new vehicles have been dropping. Depending on how things go, certain aftermarket car parts might also start getting tougher to find in the near future.
Impressive Sales Numbers
One automotive company, however, seems to be having a good year in Australia. South Korean car manufacturer Kia Motors has been showing some impressive sales numbers as of late. So good are those numbers, in fact, that they have even beaten their sibling/rival Hyundai for the first time in Australia!
In March alone, Kia managed to sell 5,654 of its cars to Australian buyers, which is a 6.6% increase from March of last year. Added up with previous months, Kia's sold 15,479 vehicles, and that's while the entire world is struggling with a global pandemic and lockdowns almost everywhere!
Naturally, automotive blogs and news outlets are buzzing about Kia's March numbers. But why? What's the big deal? Well, this is the first time in Kia's 24 years in Australia that the company has ever managed to beat Hyundai, its sibling and usually stronger rival.
It begs the question, "What makes Kia so special?" The carmaker certainly does have a few advantages that it has successfully leveraged. Consistency and reliability are two distinct traits that Kia is known for. For instance, Kia has always been consistent in the way it has priced its cars. On top of that, Kia is also preferred for its 7-year warranty that covers an unlimited number of kilometres! Put those two things together and what you get are customers who feel confident whenever they purchase a Kia vehicle.
However, those traits don't precisely explain how Kia is managing to stay successful during these COVID-19 days. The automotive market had already been shrinking over the past two years, long before this pandemic began. Yet, automotive blogs have made it clear that Kia isn't sharing the secrets of their current success.
Whatever they're doing, though, it's working for them.
A Little Bit about Kia in Australia
The Kia Motors Corporation was founded in 1944. In Seoul where it's headquartered, it ranks as the second-largest manufacturer next to Hyundai. While the two of them are rivals all over the world, Hyundai became a minority owner of Kia in 2015, while Kia owns stakes in more than 20 Hyundai subsidiaries. Despite being closely related, the two are fierce rivals in the automotive sector. Kia first made its way into Australia in 1997 with the Kia Mentor (or Kia 'Sephia' in other markets), a four-door compact car.
If there's any particular Kia model you want to read about, you can check our Carpedia section or browse Carpart.com.au for useful references and our auto part locator tool.
By Ray Hasbollah