Kia to open new head office after setting record sales total

Kia Motors (UK) Limited has set a new record sales total with 66,629 cars delivered to customers during 2012 - compared to 53,615 in 2011 - and is aiming to continue that performance by selling 70,000 units in 2013. This gave Kia a 3.26 per cent share of the UK new car market
- up from 2.76 per cent in 2011.

And to support that growth Kia is to move to a new head office in Walton, Surrey during the fourth quarter of the year - more than doubling its current space at The Heights in Weybridge.

The company has consistently set new sales records throughout 2012 with almost every month beating previous record highs. The total volume represents a 24 per cent increase over 2011 and out-performed the new car market as a whole, which showed a five per cent increase during 2012.

"A strong product line-up with distinctive design, high levels of quality and our industry-leading seven year warranty continue to attract new customers to our outstanding dealer network who are consistently delivering excellent service and an ever-improving ownership experience. This is an excellent performance that matches the challenging targets we have set ourselves as we seek to build Kia into a 100,000 unit a year brand in the UK," said Kia Motors (UK) Limited President and CEO Paul Philpott.

"And that is why we have decided to leave the base we have had in Weybridge since 2004 and move just four miles to a dedicated new headquarters building in Walton. It will give us the space to continue our growth story and will better represent where Kia now is as a brand."

"We hope to move to the new building - arranged over three floors and alongside the main railway line heading south out of London Waterloo - in October. Currently we are starting to plan just how the building will be organised and we expect building and installation work to start in the summer," he added.

Kia's record sales were led by cee'd with 15,380 units delivered, followed closely by Sportage with 14,964 customers and Picanto with just over 14,500 units sold.

Globally, Kia Motors passed the 2.7-million units mark for the first time recording an increase of eight per cent and in Europe Kia delivered 338,000 units - a 15 per cent increase over 2011 in spite of continuing economic difficulties in several market areas.

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