2012 is nearly over and I thought I’d give some time to what, for me, were the most eye-opening automotive stories for the year.
Here they are……
The rise of Kia
I haven’t looked at the numbers, but is there a company out there with bigger growth in terms of public perception than Kia? They stole Audi’s lead designer a few years ago and the results have been breathtaking in terms of the “before and after” makeover photos.
Kias are becoming genuinely fashionable in more than a few market segments now. Their new design ethos, combined with very aggressive warranty positioning and on-target advertising has seen Kia jump up the sales charts in many countries. It’s a similar story to that of their sister company, Hyundai, a few years ago.
Kia haven’t made a car that I, personally, find interesting yet. Hyundai managed that one earlier this year (see below), but there’s little doubt that they’re attracting interest from a lot of customers.
They’ve got the punters in the door. They’ve even got a lot of them to buy. Are the cars actually good enough over the long term for that growth to continue? Time will tell, but if the rise of sister-company, Hyundai, over the last 5 years is anything to go by then you wouldn’t bet against them.
The sale of Saab
This story is barely on the automotive radar in most places, but of course it’s one of the bigger stories of this year for me (and I’m sure for many of you, too).
Continue reading The most interesting automotive stories of 2012