Kia Motors Unveils New Vehicle Models

KIA Motors Corporation last week unveiled new vehicle models, which the group hopes will boost its plans to consolidate its market share in Zimbabwe.

The vehicles imported directly from South Korea include Kia Cerato, K2700 Light, Kia Rio, Picanto, Sorento, Soul and the Sportage.

Speaking at the launch of the models last week, Kia Motors general manager Mr Keith Smith said the vehicle manufacturing company had been inactive in Zimbabwe over the past years but they have now started exploring ways to penetrate the market on a larger scale.

As a result the company had opened a unit in the country six months ago.

Mr Smith said the company felt their selected local Kia dealer was not putting maximum effort to conquer the local market and as such decided to take over and launch the brand in a bigger and better fashion.

"We found that the existing Kia dealer was not really putting a lot of effort, so we felt it was an ideal opportune time to come now, launch Kia in a big way, and provide much-needed competition in this country," Mr Smith said.

He said there were other competing products that are similar in price, size and overall specifications but Kia had a lot more to offer.

Kia Motors will also focus on more services in a bid to compete with the existing and already established brands in Zimbabwe.

Mr Smith expressed optimism on the Kia K2700, which he said is going to be a big seller. "We have already received inquiries about the vehicle on the local front."

According to the manufacturer the K2700 light has a 2,7 litre four-cylinder J2 diesel engine, which delivers 62kilowatts of power at 4 150rpm, and 165 Nm of torque at 2 400rpm.

Kia Motors say the vehicle comes with power steering, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, and a turning circle of only 4,9 metres, making it easy to manoeuvre and drive with a 2 810mm long deck and 1 630mm wide bed the K2700 provides up to 1,5 tonne capacity.

Another brand, the Kia Picanto has a three-cylinder, 998 cc unit producing 51 kW and 94 Nm of torque in the 1.0 LX.

From its appearance on can easily see that it was designed for low income earners.

Kia Motors Corporation was founded in 1944 and is South Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles with over 2,7 million Kia vehicles being produced a year in 10 manufacturing and assembly operations in five countries.

Head-quartered in Seoul, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer, following Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 2,7 million vehicles in 2012 and almost 2,75 million vehicles in 2013.

The company has dealerships in 150 countries and employs 48 000 employees generating a total revenue of $43 billion.

This year has also seen another global vehicle brand, Suzuki registering its presence in the country.

Source