Kia Motors Europe

Kia Motors Europe is the European division of South Korean carmaker Kia. Since 1995 it has produced left and right hand drive versions of the Sportage SUV at a factory in Germany. Indeed all versions of this car that are sold in Europe are made in Germany, though non-European versions are built alongside the rest of the Kia range in its homeland.

Kia began importing cars to Europe in early 1991, initially selling just the Pride mini-car. It initially proved popular with buyers who favoured its low asking price, good fuel economy, spacious interior and solid build. But sales fell towards the end of the decade and the end of production was finally announced in May 2000, with its successor - the Rio - not going on sale for another year.

The European range expanded in 1994 when Kia began importing the larger Mentor, a range of medium sized hatchbacks and saloon which were marketed as cheap and well-equipped alternatives to the likes of the Ford Escort and Vauxhall/Opel Astra. A facelift in 1999 saw the Mentor name retained for the saloon, but the hatchback was renamed Sephia. These models remained on sale until 2004, when the newer Cerato was launched and gave Kia one of its first serious competitors for mainstream brands.

The Sportage SUV range has been popular across Europe, but since 2002 Kia has gained more sales in this market thanks to the launch of the larger Cerato.

Kia did not enter Europe's large family car market until the launch of its Credos four-door saloon in 1999. This car was similar in size to the Ford Mondeo, but on its launch was actually cheaper to buy than the smaller Focus. It had a spacious interior, large boot, competitive asking price and high equipment levels, but it had little more appeal to sway buyers away from established European brands like Ford Motor Company, Vauxhall/Opel, Renault and Peugeot. Its successor, the Magentis, launched in 2001, was even better value for money but despite an improvement in packaging and refinement it was still nowhere near as popular as Kia might have hoped it would be.

Kia entered the MPV market in 1999 with its capacious Sedona, which quickly found favour with buyers who appreciated its high equipment and low asking price. On its launch, it was the cheapest full-size people carrier on sale in the United Kingdom.

2004 saw the commencement of European imports for the Kia Picanto city car. It offered class-leading levels of value for money, equipment and refinement, and has proved very popular with budget buyers in most of Europe.

As of 2007, Kia has been importing cars to Europe for 16 years. On its arrival, just one model was being sold. The range has gradually expanded over that time so the marque has a competitor in just about every sector except for the luxury and sports market. Sales of its products have so far failed to match those of established European brands, but current sales records have been impressive for a marque who only arrived in Europe at the start of the previous decade.