Kia Canada

Last updated
Kia Canada Inc.
Industry Automotive
Founded1999
Headquarters Mississauga, Ontario
Owner Kia Corporation
Website www.kia.ca

Kia Canada was formed in 1999 as a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation serving the Canadian market. [1] [2] [3] It is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, where it employs approximately 180 people. [3] Kia Canada is best known for its mid-market lineup of sport utility vehicles and crossovers, which are midway in size between SUVs and ordinary sedans, and increasingly for its electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. [1] In 2021, Kia Canada introduced a new logo and slogan, "Movement that inspires". [3] As of 2021, Kia Canada sold nearly 80,000 vehicles a year. [3]

Contents

Lineup

In 2004, Kia Canada introduced a redesigned version of its light off-road Sportage as a crossover. [1] Larger and more comfortable than its predecessor, the new Sportage gained a reputation for reliability and became one of Kia Canada's longest-running nameplates. [1]

In 2008, Kia Canada introduced the Kia Soul, a small crossover with boxy styling which was imitated by rivals including the Toyota C-HR and Nissan Kicks. [1] Memorable advertisements featured a dancing hamster, solidifying allegiance among younger drivers. [1]

In 2016, the Telluride, a three-row luxury SUV, was introduced as a concept car. [1] In 2019, Kia Canada launched the consumer version of the Telluride, with demand far exceeding availability. [4] The Telluride's production model proved popular and won more awards than any other SUV in Kia Canada's lineup. [1] [4]

In 2022, Kia Canada introduced the EV6, an all-electric crossover, to the Canadian market. [5] Driving's David Booth questioned Kia Canada's claims that the EV6's 77.4-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery outperformed that of Hyundai's Ioniq 5, even though Hyundai claims to use the same battery, built by SK International. [5] Nevertheless, Booth praised the EV6's 441 km range vs. the Ioniq 5's 414 km, achieved through more efficient power consumption of 19.9 kWh per 100 km. [5]

Kia Canada's base model of the EV6 is strategically priced at just under $45k to qualify for Canada's federal Zero Emissions Vehicles rebate, with several provinces adding their own rebates. [6] [7] The 2023 high performance EV6 GT, starting at just under $75,000, is too expensive to qualify for federal or provincial rebates. [8] [7]

In 2020, Kia Canada announced its "Plan S" strategy, committing to provide Canadian consumers with a choice of seven all-new plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles by 2025. [3]

Sales history

In December 2019, Kia Canada sold its millionth vehicle, a Kia Soul purchased in Sherbrooke, Quebec. [2] To celebrate the occasion, Kia Canada provided the vehicle along with $2,000 worth of options to its purchaser, a single mother and special education teacher named Sonia Blais, for free. [2] Kia Sherbrooke's co-owner Tommy Morissette commented, "She moved us with the work she's been doing for the past 22 years with learning disabilities kids. She said she never won anything in her whole life, but now she's driving one of our vehicles - her second Kia - we're going to take very good care of her, and her Soul." [2]

By the close of 2021, Kia Canada had surpassed previous records, selling 79,198 vehicles in a year which was otherwise challenging for the industry, with June 2021 as its best sales month in the company's history at 8,850 vehicles delivered including 779 certified pre-owned vehicles. [3] Top-sellers included the Seltos and Sportage as well as the compact Forte. [3] Sales of all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids rose to 4,720. [3] According to US-based Auto Forecast Solutions, Kia Canada sold 43,598 vehicles in the first eight months of 2022, a 24.7% drop from 2021 as auto dealers struggled with low inventories and semiconductor shortages which left them unable to meet consumer demand. [9] Torque News' Justin Hart lamented the long wait time for Kia Canada's EVs in particular. [10]

Kia Communities in Motion

In 2021, Kia Canada, in partnership with Community Foundations of Canada, launched Kia Communities in Motion, a program to donate $1.4 million to support local charities. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Motor Company</span> South Korean multinational automaker

Hyundai Motor Company, often abbreviated to Hyundai Motors and commonly known as Hyundai, is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and founded in 1967. Currently, the company owns 33.88 percent of Kia Corporation, and also fully owns two marques including its luxury cars subsidiary, Genesis Motor, and an electric vehicle sub-brand, Ioniq. Those three brands altogether comprise the Hyundai Motor Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia</span> South Korean automobile manufacturer

Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia and formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry (京城精密工业) and Kia Motors Corporation, is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer, after its parent company, Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 2.8 million vehicles in 2019. As of 2015, the Kia Corporation is minority owned by Hyundai, which holds a 33.88% stake valued at just over US$6 billion. Kia in turn is a minority owner of more than twenty Hyundai subsidiaries ranging from 4.9% up to 45.37%, totaling more than US$8.3 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia Sportage</span> Motor vehicle

The Kia Sportage is a lineup of sport utility vehicles manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 1993 through five generations. Initially a compact SUV built on a body-on-frame chassis, the second-generation Sportage transitioned to a car-based platform which placed it into the compact crossover SUV class, and has been developed alongside the Hyundai Tucson. Since the fifth-generation model launched in 2021, Kia developed the Sportage in two sizes with different wheelbase lengths for different markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BYD Auto</span> Chinese automobile manufacturer

BYD Auto Co., Ltd. is the automotive subsidiary of the publicly listed Chinese multinational manufacturing company BYD Co. Ltd. It was founded in January 2003, following BYD's 2002 acquisition of Qinchuan Automobile Company.

Dongfeng Yueda Kia Motor Co., Ltd. is an automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Yancheng, China and a joint venture between Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Jiangsu Yueda Group and Kia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LA Auto Show</span> Annual US auto show

The Los Angeles Auto Show, also known as the LA Auto Show, is an auto show held annually at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is open to the public for ten days, filling 760,000 square feet (71,000 m2) of exhibit space. Since 2006 the event is held in November or December.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Auto Shanghai</span> Chinese biennial automobile show

Auto Shanghai, officially known as the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, is a biennial international automobile show that alternates with the Beijing Auto Show as China's yearly international automotive exhibition. First held in 1985, Auto Shanghai is the nation's oldest auto exhibition, and is considered as an important major international auto show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia Telluride</span> Motor vehicle

The Kia Telluride is a mid-size crossover SUV with three-row seating manufactured and marketed by Kia since 2019. Positioned above the smaller Sorento, the Telluride was previewed as a concept car in 2016, with the production model debuting in the spring of 2019 as a 2020 model. It shares components and specifications with its sister model, the Hyundai Palisade, including its engine, transmission, and wheelbase. Named after the town of Telluride, Colorado, the Telluride is the largest vehicle Kia has manufactured in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia Niro</span> Compact crossover SUV

The Kia Niro is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) manufactured by Kia since 2016. It is an electrification-focused vehicle, offering three versions: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric variants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Ioniq</span> Compact car

The Hyundai Ioniq is a compact five-door liftback manufactured and marketed by Hyundai. The nameplate Ioniq is a portmanteau of ion and unique. It is marketed as the first automobile to be offered without a standard internal combustion engine, but rather sold in hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and all-electric variants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo Tonale</span> Italian compact crossover SUV

The Alfa Romeo Tonale is a C-segment SUV produced by Italian manufacturer Alfa Romeo since February 2022. A c-segment model, it slots below the Alfa Romeo Stelvio in the marque's crossover SUV range. Known internally as the 965, the Tonale is the first hybrid-powered Alfa Romeo and became the first new model introduced by the brand in six years. The Tonale is named after the Tonale mountain pass in Northern Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia Seltos</span> Motor vehicle

The Kia Seltos is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured by Kia. Introduced in mid-2019, the Seltos is positioned between the smaller Stonic, Soul, or Sonet and the larger Sportage in Kia's global SUV lineup.

Ioniq is an automotive marque and a division of Hyundai Motor Company with headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. The marque was established in 2020 as a sub-brand for Hyundai's electric vehicle line-up. The sub-brand is slated to aid Hyundai to achieve a targeted one million electric vehicle sales annually by 2025, with the Ioniq brand projected to contribute 560,000 of those sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Electric Global Modular Platform</span> Motor vehicle platform

Hyundai E-GMP is a dedicated battery electric vehicle platform for Hyundai Motor Group automobiles. It is the first electric-only dedicated platform by Hyundai. It has been used for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis automobiles starting in 2021. It follows Hyundai's earlier Power Electric System, which describes the drivetrain of an electric vehicle, including the traction motor, storage battery, and power electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia EV6</span> Battery electric compact crossover SUV

The Kia EV6 is a battery electric compact crossover SUV produced by Kia. Introduced in March 2021, it is the first Kia dedicated electric vehicle, and the first model developed on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) similar to the Hyundai Ioniq 5. It is also the first model to be named under the new nomenclature designated for a line of Kia electric cars, which will range from EV1 to EV9. The EV6 is the 2022 European Car of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia Imagine</span> Kia concept vehicle

The Kia Imagine is an electric compact crossover SUV concept revealed by South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia Motors at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skyworth EV6</span> Chinese electric mid-size SUV

The Skyworth EV6 is an electric mid-size crossover SUV produced since 2021 by Chinese automotive company Skyworth Auto, a joint venture by bus manufacturer Skywell Group and consumer electronics manufacturer Skyworth Group. The PHEV variant is called the Skyworth HT-i.

As of March 2022, there were about 76,000 fully electric vehicles and 57,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles in Quebec. As of 2021, about 6.8% of new vehicle registrations in Quebec were electric.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia EV5</span> Battery electric compact crossover SUV

The Kia EV5 is a battery electric compact crossover SUV produced by Kia since 2023. It is the third model in the manufacturer's "EV" battery electric vehicle range after the EV6 and EV9. It is also the first battery electric vehicle that will be exported by Kia from China, being produced by joint venture Dongfeng Yueda Kia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McAlee, Brendan (June 12, 2022). "Evolutionary: Kia turned its rep around with these 6 designs". Driving. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Filion, Nadine (December 3, 2019). "Kia Canada gives millionth buyer, a Quebec single mom, her new Soul for free". Driving. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Kia Canada achieves historic record-breaking year in 2021". Financial Post. January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  4. 1 2 St-Pierre, Matt (October 25, 2022). "2023 Kia Telluride Gains New Trims and a Facelift". Motor Illustrated. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Booth, David (March 9, 2022). "First Drive: 2022 Kia EV6". Driving. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  6. ↑ "New 2022 Kia EV6 targets Canada's $45k electric sweet spot". CarCostCanada. February 15, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Molnar, Coleman (October 26, 2022). "Kia's most powerful vehicle, the 2023 EV6 GT, won't be cheap". Driving. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ Rivard, Guillaume (October 28, 2022). "2023 Kia EV6 GT Arrives as Fastest and Most Expensive Kia Ever". The Car Guide. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  9. ↑ Layson, Greg (September 1, 2022). "August sales plunge 14% as industry struggles to rebound from chip, inventory shortages". Automotive News Canada . Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ Hart, Justin. "Asking For A Friend: When Canada Will Get More Electrified Kias". Torque News. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
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