10th in the world is Kia for car/LCV production. It makes 58% of its product in Korea, but that fell from 62% in 2001 and 95% in 2005. Still, it has few plants around the world considering its size. It increased its world share to 3.4%, with 7% growth in 2012. USA production was up 31%, Slovakia 16% and China 13%, but Korea was static.
It seems that bigger brother Hyundai is trying to go more upmarket while Kia is remaining at the value end. I presume the brand will continue to grow at a steady rate, without becoming a really big marque. It will also have to face pressure from low cost offerings such as Renault/Dacia and Nissan/Datsun in emerging markets.
Ultimately, the direction for Kia is still a bit up in the air, with the new supremo of Hyundai/Kia yet to really define what will happen. He will need time to sort it all out. I think it will be a challenge to get a clear difference with both brands. For now their ranges are certainly too similar.
| 11 | 12 | 2011 | Shr | 2012 | Shr | ||
| 1 | 1 | Korea | 1,557,233 | 61.9% | 1,558,355 | 57.8% | |
| 2 | 2 | China | 432,516 | 17.2% | 487,580 | 18.1% | |
| 3 | 3 | USA | 273,751 | 10.9% | 358,520 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | 4 | Slovakia | 252,252 | 10.0% | 292,050 | 10.8% | |
| Total Kia | 2,515,752 | 3.3% | 2,696,505 | 3.4% |
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| Kia Cerato - Looking Sporty |
Data source: OICA
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