Kia Motors Wins Top Awards in 4 Categories at '2020 Russia Car of the Year'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] Kia Motors won the grand prize in four categories at the ‘2020 Russia Car of the Year’ awards ceremony.

Kia announced on the 15th that at the ‘2020 Russia Car of the Year,’ the Picanto (domestic name: Morning) was selected as the Urban Compact Car of the Year, the Ceed as the Compact Car of the Year, the Seltos as the Small SUV of the Year, and the Stinger as the Grand Touring Car of the Year. This is the most awards Kia has won since entering the Russian market.

The Picanto, the smallest model in Kia’s lineup, was recognized as the best ‘Urban Compact Car’ for the fifth consecutive year. The Picanto was selected as the grand prize winner, receiving high praise for its design, spaciousness, and convenience features, surpassing the Fiat 500, which was the final nominee.

The Ceed, following its ‘New Car of the Year’ award last year, was crowned the best in the ‘Compact Car’ category this year. Comprising a diverse lineup including the Ceed hatchback, Ceed Sportswagon, ProCeed, and XCeed, the Ceed received high marks in driving performance compared to the final nominee, the Toyota Corolla.

The Seltos, selected as the Small Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) of the Year, captured the hearts of Russian customers with its design, space utilization, and best-in-class convenience features. In just six months since its launch, it sold 1,783 units in August, emerging as a key player leading Kia’s presence in the Russian market alongside the Rio (7,664 units) and Sportage (2,898 units).

The small SUV market is the second largest after the Rio segment (C1) and has shown the largest growth compared to the previous year based on cumulative sales from January to August. The Seltos’ Car of the Year award is interpreted as a positive signal that will drive Kia’s sales expansion in the Russian market going forward.

Kia’s first Gran Turismo (GT) model, the Stinger, was selected as Car of the Year, surpassing the Porsche Panamera, which was the final nominee. It received favorable evaluations for its sporty design and outstanding power performance.

Alexander Migal, who is responsible for operations at Kia Motors Russia Regional Headquarters, said, “The Car of the Year award is especially meaningful because it is selected by customer votes. The key to this award is the excellent evaluations in core areas such as design, quality, and performance. In particular, winning the most categories in Kia’s history demonstrates Kia’s growing stature in the Russian automotive market.” He added, “We plan to carry out various customer-tailored marketing activities so that more Russian customers can experience Kia’s excellent products.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.