Kia's Ceed posts record sales volume in Europe

Seoul [South Korea], August 23 (ANI/Global Economic): Ceed, Kia's [000270] European strategic model, has posted record sales in the European market in 10 years.
According to IR data from Hyundai Motor and Kia on the 22nd, Ceed is Hyundai Motor Group's best-selling model in Europe from January to July this year.
A total of 90,120 units were sold, up 20.7 per cent from 74,683 units last year.
It was followed by Kia's subcompact SUV Sportage (85,253 units) and Hyundai Motor's Tucson (74,111 units).
Ceed, which is not sold in Korea, is a European strategic model to target European consumers who prefer practical cars such as hatchbacks or wagons.
It was first produced at Kia's Slovakia plant in 2006, and the 3rd generation was launched so far.
The Ceed 3rd generation, released in 2018, provides more options to consumers by diversifying the lineup.
In addition to hatchback and sports wagon, which were released in the 1st and 2nd generations, sports sedan type wagon 'ProCeed' and crossover model 'XCeed' were added to the lineup.
In particular, Kia added a plug-in hybrid model to meet the demand for eco-friendly cars, resulting in an increase in sales of Ceed in Europe.
According to KOTRA, 2,991 units of Ceed were sold in the Swedish automobile market in the first quarter of this year, ranking 5th in overall sales. The Swedish government provides subsidies to plug-in hybrid cars as well as electric vehicles.
Although this year's total sales have not yet come out, Ceed is expected to post high sales in the European market this year.
In 2007, a year after its first release, 71,952 units of Ceed were sold, recording the largest sales volume in Europe. In the following year, it remained its No.1 position with 112,373 units sold.
However, its sales decreased due to strong sales of i10, i30, Sportage, Tucson, and Kona. However, as it has recently gained popularity this year, it is expected to become Hyundai Motor Group's best-selling model.
Ceed is expected to surpass 150,000 units in sales in Europe this year. This figure exceeds last year's sales volume of 134,908 units, and it is likely to become the best-selling model again in 14 years. (ANI/Global Economic)