Kia announces increase in profits as global sales increase

South Korean carmaker Kia has announced a big jump in revenue and profit for the first quarter of 2012 on the back of a 12.4% increase in global sales. Some 635,000 Kias were sold across the world in the first three months of 2012 and the company recorded revenues of £6.5bn, up 10.6%, with net profit up 26% at £625m. Despite a fall in domestic sales, all other parts of the world saw dramatic increases in vehicle sales and for the first time the United States market overtook Korea as the...

Kia aims high with new cee’d

When it was first launched five years ago the Kia cee'd put the South Korean carmaker on a different path. It was their first model which was designed from the wheels up for the European driver and it was the start of a revolution at the manufacturer as it moved upwards in terms of image, sales, and recognition. The new second generation cee'd, which goes on sale in the UK on June 1, faces a new but just as significant challenge as then it first launched in 2007. Kia is looking to shift...

New CEO and president for Kia UK

Kia has appointed Paul Philpott, currently chief operating officer of Kia Motors Europe in Frankfurt, as president and chief executive officer of Kia Motors UK and Ireland - the first time a non-Korean has been appointed to such a role at any Kia subsidiary in Europe. Philpott, 45, was managing director Kia Motors (UK) from 2007 until he moved to Frankfurt in 2009 and will return to the Weybridge base from the start of July this year. The move comes as part of Kia's plan to strengthen its...

Kia adds Soul Inferno to Originals line-up

Kia has added the Soul Inferno to its  Soul ‘Originals' line-up, which the car maker says offers a distinctly fiery personality and very high specification level. The Soul Inferno joins its stable-mates - Hunter and Quantum - and is available to order now from Kia dealerships. The Soul Inferno features Tornado Red paintwork, tattoo-style dark red dragon body graphics, rear spoiler, silver roof rails and 18” ‘Black Petal' alloy wheels. There’s also privacy glass on rear windows along with...

2011 is top year for Kia

Kia produced a record number of vehicles from its European manufacturing plant last year thanks to high demand for its cars. The plant in Zilina, Slovakia, manufactured more than 252,000 cars and 359,000 engines in 2011 – an increase of 10 and 12 per cent respectively over the previous year. The carmaker also invested heavily through 2011, recruiting an additional 900 employees to staff a third production shift in January 2012. More than 3,900 people are now employed at the site. “Last...