That "other" Korean brand, Kia, is doing remarkably well at the moment. Global sales figures are up 17 per cent compared with last year and it's not hard to see why: as a niche alternative to parent maker Hyundai, Kia often seems to take the high ground on styling - thanks to ex-Audi stylist Peter Schreyer - and equipment. The biggest-selling Kia worldwide is the Cerato.
While Kia is booming in almost every major export region, the New Zealand division is pretty much where it was last year. Which is nowhere much at all. Certainly a second-tier brand with less than 4 per cent of the market, and outside the top-10 auto brands on the sales charts.
How come? If I knew that, I'd probably be the boss of Kia New Zealand right now. Kia does not have the brand recognition of big names like Toyota and Hyundai and lacks the marketing muscle to buy it. Supply has been an issue for some new models like Sportage and Optima. Being a Kiwi distributor owned by an increasingly proud and successful brand, I suspect Kia New Zealand also lacks the discount-ability to do serious fleet business in the local environment.
For a variety of reasons, Kia just isn't clicking in New Zealand. That's a shame, because the cars have really come of age.
As a Corolla alternative, Cerato brings a lot to the table. It got more than its share of press when it was launched in sedan form back in 2009 - largely because it was Schreyer's first new Kia model. The introduction of the equally handsome hatchback version last year also brought a new six-speed automatic gearbox, steering/chassis tweaks and extra noise-suppression.
