“We’re up over 100 percent,” said John Savage, general sales manager of Kia of Dayton, which has sold in excess of 450 more vehicles than last year, prompted by low markup prices on MSRP.
Nationally, the South Korean brand has been one of the fastest-growing in popularity at a time when Honda and Toyota have posted lower sales. The Japanese companies have been hampered by production problems caused by flooding in Thailand and the March Tsunami in Japan which knocked out crucial parts-producing plants.
“2010 was a whole culture change for Kia. There’s not one car now that was the same in 2010,” Savage said, noting many of the vehicles have recently undergone redesigns in styling, making them popular among buyers.
Sales have been strong for new vehicles this year, particularly compact cars and sedans. Consumers looked for smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles as prices on used cars increased following the Japan disaster, according to consumer automotive analyst site Edmunds.com. The momentum is contagious, said Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury.
“Once a brand begins building steam with the increase in vehicle sales, the sold units essentially become moving billboards.” Drury said. “Kia is doing well because the brand is resonating with consumers that are actively looking to make every dollar count. Many Kia models offer great levels of content/features at very competitive prices.”
Kia has sold 442,102 cars so far this year — an almost 36 percent jump from last year’s sales, according to the company. Sorento and Optima models topped the list at 9,669 and 9,533 sold nationally last month.
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