South Korea’s Second Largest Car Manufacturer Kia Motors Hits Record High Sales In Europe For Q3

South Korea's second-largest automaker Kia Motors Corp. reportedly hit record high in European sales for the third quarter of the year thanks to the market's high demand for the car manufacturer's SUV and customized compact sedan, reported Korea Herald on Monday.

Data gathered by the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association revealed that Kia Motors was able to sell 95,102 units in Europe from July until September, increasing its sales by 9.7 percent from last year.

Overall, sales of Kia Motors for the first nine months of the year increased by 8.3 percent from 2014, with a total of 295,140 units sold.

"It's very satisfying to see our European sales continue to grow in line with our plan for sustainable growth," said Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer of Kia Motors Europe. "Kia's promise to offer uncompromising quality, great design and the highest levels of customer care are clearly striking a chord with buyers across the continent, and we remain on course for record full-year sales."

According to Kia Media Oct. 16, the best-seller in Kia Motors Europe is their small SUV, the Sportage, which increased in sales by 5.2 percent from a year earlier, with 25,308 units sold in this year's third quarter. A total of 81,310 Kia Sportage vehicles were sold in Europe for the first nine months of this year.

Their second best-selling model is the cee'd model family, with 7,227 units sold putting its year-on-year sales up by 3.3 percent.

Of Kia Motor's European auto market, the United Kingdom remains the largest, with unit sales of 21,960 for the third quarter, accounting for 23 percent of the automaker's sales in Europe. Germany comes in second with 14,488 units sold, followed by Spain with 9,771 units sold, noted Just Auto Oct. 16.

As of September, South Korea's Kia Motors account for 2.8 percent of the share in the European auto market.