"Kia to Sell 800,000 Units Annually in Europe by 2028, Hosts Dealer Conference"

Kia held the '2024 Pan-European Dealer Conference' in Berlin, Germany for the first time in eight years, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening its presence in the European market.

Kia announced on the 3rd that it successfully hosted the Pan-European Dealer Conference over two days from the 29th to the 30th, with approximately 2,900 participants including executives and dealers from subsidiaries and dealerships across 41 European countries.

This Pan-European Dealer Conference was the first large-scale dealer invitation event since Kia relaunched its brand in 2021. It marked the fourth edition following previous events held in Barcelona, Spain in 2006, Paris, France in 2011, and Budapest, Hungary in 2016.

At the event, Kia executives including President Song Ho-sung, Mark Hedrich, Head of the European Division, and Karim Habib, Vice President of Kia Global Design, attended to share Kia’s business vision for the overall European automotive market and strategies across all areas including products, design, marketing, and sales.

Kia executives are taking a commemorative photo after the 2024 Pan-European Dealer Conference.
[Photo by Kia]

Last year, Kia achieved a record high sales of 572,297 units in the entire European automotive market, capturing a market share of 4.5%. Among these, eco-friendly vehicles accounted for 217,155 units, representing 40% of total sales. Kia aims to focus on eco-friendly vehicles and the PBV market to achieve annual sales of 800,000 units and a market share of 5% by 2028.

To this end, Kia plans to successfully launch the EV3 this year and establish a full lineup of electric vehicles by 2026, solidifying its image as a leading electrification brand in the increasingly competitive European eco-friendly vehicle market. Additionally, Kia intends to continuously upgrade its product and trim mix and maintain pricing policies that reflect the improved brand and product value to maximize profitability.

Meanwhile, Kia’s product competitiveness in the European electric vehicle market has been recognized. The first dedicated electric vehicle, the EV6, won the European Car of the Year award in 2022, the first for a Korean brand. The electrified large sports utility vehicle (SUV) EV9 has continued the winning streak by receiving awards such as the 2024 World Car of the Year, 2024 UK Car of the Year, and 2024 Germany Car of the Year in the luxury category.

President Song said, "Europe is a key region for Kia’s global sales and electrification strategy. We will actively lead the transition to EV popularization by successfully launching the EV3 this year," adding, "We will strive to transform into a customer-centric brand by enhancing differentiated products and customer experiences."

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