Kia 2004 Annual Report Download - page 21

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21
KIA Motors_2004 Annual Report
Reputation
the Art of Perfection
Kia Motors is turning
cars into masterpieces
that highlight true value
to customers.
Kia Motors' European sales grew 44.4% year on year in 2004, the highest in the
industry for the second consecutive year, according to the European Automobile
Manufacturers Association (ACEA). The Morning ("Picanto" in Europe) has been
particularly popular with European drivers looking for both economy and style.
Sales took off in April 2004, and 58,625 Picanto were purchased during the year,
making this mini-car model Kia's best seller in the European market.
The Picanto has been ranked first in the A segm ent in performance com parison
tests conducted by leading automotive trade journals in Germany, the UK, Austria,
and France. In August, ‘Autocar’, a UK's leading automobile magazine, pitted the
Picanto against other mini-cars and praised it as "a car that has been built w ith kit
and quality that pound for pound rivals a Mercedes S Class." The Picanto outscored
Volkswagen Polo in a test by the German publication ‘Autobild’ in September.
European sales subsidiaries and dealers were the driving forces for success in the
regional market. In particular, Kia Motors UK (KMUK) was named Britain's "2004 Car
Franchise of the Year" by ‘Motor Trader Magazine’, the country's leading trade
publication. The award was given in recognition of KMUK's dramatic business
development, dealer network expansion, and dealer sales growth. The judges were
unanim ous in selecting Kia for the top honors. Also in 2004, KMUK's aggregate UK
sales surpassed 100,000 units, a milestone achieved fourteen years after the first
Pride was sold there in 1991.