Sorento leads record Kia sales with nearly 90,000 sold
(November 5, 2010) IRVINE, Calif. — The Kia Sorento mid-sized crossover vehicle, built at a new plant in Georgia, has become a star for the brand as it just completed its best sales quarter in company history.
Kia sold 31,199 vehicles in October, a 38.7-percent increase over the same period last year and an all-time sales record for the month of October. KMA's year-to-date sales are up 14.6 percent over 2009, and the company is well positioned to achieve its 16th consecutive year of market share growth. The October sales record is KMA's third in the past four months – and seventh overall in 2010.
KMA's sales were led for the 10th consecutive month by the 2011 Sorento, whose sales of 10,609 units helped the CUV surpass the 85,000 unit mark. Together, the vehicles resulting from Kia's design-led transformation — the 2010 Soul, Forte and Forte Koup; and the 2011 Sorento and Sportage — accounted for 80.4 percent of the monthly sales volume.
"KMA has achieved new quarterly sales records in each of the first three quarters this year, and the strong start to the fourth quarter is an indicator that our brand's tremendous momentum and growth will continue through the end of the year," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG).
"Demand for Kia's first U.S.-built1 vehicle, the Sorento CUV, remains extremely high, while the popularity of the all-new 2011 Sportage has outpaced supply since arriving in dealerships a few months ago, and the upcoming arrivals of the highly anticipated all-new 2011 Optima and sporty 2011 Forte 5-door will further our ongoing brand transformation."
MONTH OF OCTOBER | YEAR-TO-DATE | |||
Model | 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 |
Rio | 1,818 | 4,005 | 22,709 |
27,238 |
Spectra | 3 | 266 | 268 | 46,960 |
Forte | 5,754 | 4,984 | 57,482 | 17,381 |
Optima | 1,630 | 3,075 | 22,852 | 33,905 |
Amanti | 11 | 51 | 251 | 3,607 |
Sportage | 108 | 1,146 | 11,674 | 40,042 |
MY'11 Sportage | 2,569 | n/a | 7,790 | n/a |
Sorento | 2 | 1,154 | 778 | 19,667 |
MY'11 Sorento | 10,609 | n/a | 88,783 | n/a |
Sedona | 1,655 | 1,013 | 18,872 | 24,730 |
Rondo | 68 | 814 | 3,455 | 12,545 |
Borrego | 835 | 3,919 | 9,148 | 8,685 |
Soul | 6,137 | 2,063 | 55,161 | 26,300 |
Total | 31,199 | 22,490 | 299,223 | 261,060 |