The SUV trend ceased to be a fad a long time ago. The market has turned upside down with a segment that has made minivans disappear and even stands up to iconic compacts. To this preference we must add the consolidation of non-European firms that, little by little, have been showing their good work and reliability. One of those manufacturers is Kia, come from South Korea, where it was founded in 1944 . Today it sells more than 3 million units in 190 countries, including Spain. The history of SUVs and Kia began in 1993 and, since then, more than 170,000 SUVs have been registered in our country. The current Kia Sportage , Stonic and Niro accounted for 53% of the brand’s sales in 2019 , a share they hope to maintain in 2020 with a greater introduction of their hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants.
The electrification of the park has been and will be a complicated challenge for historic brands. Younger firms, on the other hand, have seized the opportunity, standing in front of consumers with fresh and coherent ideas. That is one of the reasons that has led Kia to be the second best-selling brand in the electrified private channel , with 17% of registered models (2019). The Korean firm expects 2020 to be the definitive transition year, reaching a 51% sales quota of hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric versions.
To achieve that milestone, the firm will continue to rely on its two most successful models – the Kia Sportage Hybrid and the eco variants of the Kia Niro – but will also bet on new additions. These two compact SUVs will be joined by the Sorento, a large SUV that was supposed to make its show at the Geneva Motor Show . This novelty, together with the hybrid Kia Ceed, will arrive throughout 2020 but we will not be able to see them at the most important event in the automotive sector due to its cancellation due to the new coronavirus. Not only that, Kia will boost the offer of eco engines in its portfolio , going from the current five models to the 15 that it plans to market before the end of the year .
