Another record year on the market for Kia has ended. The Korean brand has in fact recorded record sales in Italy and Europe according to data released by ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. The Asian brand ended the year with 572,297 units registered in the Old Continent, equal to an increase of 5.4% with the market share in Europe remaining firmly at 4.5%.
The best-selling Kias
Analyzing the sales mix, the demand for electric and electrified vehicles has also grown. Between hybrid, plug-in and electric, Kia sold 217,145 cars, with a growth of 9% compared to 2022. This type of propulsion now represents 37.9% of the brand's total sales in Europe, awaiting the commercial launch of the new EV9 is starting to bear fruit. Among the best-selling models in the Old Continent, the Kia Sportage dominates, with 165,354 units registered, followed by the Ceed range which sold 87,246 units and the Niro crossover which ranked third with 73,582 units sold. Sales of purely electric vehicles increased significantly, marking a plus of 22.7%, thanks to 80,999 units sold in 2023. The new Kia Niro EV sold 40,074 units, followed by the EV6 with 36,195 units. First contribution also from EV9, despite sales starting at the end of the year, with 2,843 units sold while the e-Soul stopped at 1,887 units.
Production record
From a production point of view, last year more than 350,000 vehicles left the production plant in Zilina, Slovakia. This number means a 12% increase in production, compared to 2022. 60% of cars produced in Europe in 2023 were the fifth generation Sportage. The different versions of the Ceed family represented the remaining 40% of European production. Kia Slovakia also produced more than 507,000 engines in 2023, including the 7 millionth power unit, the jubilee power unit. This represents a more than 10% year-on-year increase in engine production.
The goals for 2024
2023 saw Kia reach new sales records on a global scale too. The year just ended was closed with 3.1 million units sold worldwide. Kia Europe contributed 18.5% of the total. Global sales increased by 6.3% compared to last year. For 2024, Kia has set an overall sales goal of 3.2 million vehicles. Broken down by geographical area, the brand plans to sell 530,000 units in Korea and 2,663,000 vehicles in the rest of the world.
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