Kia bags top consumer award

 
22 February 2013

Kia Motors have motored off with the 2012 Which? Award for best car manufacturer, having fought off stiff competition in the first year it was shortlisted for the accolade.

The corporation received the honour after scoring highly in the consumer organisation’s survey on reliability and customer satisfaction.

The Which? Awards, presented this year by Ed Miliband, are a celebration of British business, and have now been held six times.

The majority of the scheme’s winners are chosen by Which? experts who base their decisions on rigorous testing, surveys and investigations. Shortlists and outright winners are selected in each of the 11 categories.

Which? is Britain’s largest independent non-profit making consumer association, with a track record of recommending only thoroughly tested products spanning over five decades.

Chief Executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: “Winners of these awards have shown it is possible to be successful in difficult times if you focus on what your customers need.”

Referring to Kia cars specifically, Vicary-Smith added: “For Kia to walk off with the title is a significant achievement, especially for the first time it made the shortlist. We feel Kia is the most improved car brand around.”

Michael Cole, managing director of Kia Motors (UK) commented: “ This award is the culmination of years of hard work by our teams of engineers, designers and dealers. It is a great honour coming from Which?, with its long history of championing consumers and thorough testing processes.”

In particular, assessors singled out the new Rio, Sorento and Picanto vehicles, all of which produced great results in the testing lab, while the new cee’d and Optima also performed well during road tests.

 Kia Motors was founded nearly 70 years ago as a maker of steel tubing and bike parts, then carried out by hand, and Kia Motors says its name can be translated to mean ‘rising out of Asia’. With its HQ in Seoul, Kia is the country’s second biggest automobile producer, after Hyundai, which is also its part owner.

Take advantage of one of the available car deals on a new Kia and you will benefit from the firm’s market-leading warranty coverage which lasts seven years, up to a maximum of 100,000 miles - whichever comes first. (However, for the first three years, mileage is unlimited.)

The range of new cars on offer from Kia includes the spacious Optima saloon, cost-effective Picanto (“its interior shames many more expensive models” said What Car) or the Rio, a sleek-looking small family car which still feels roomy.

Or perhaps the Soul, Venga or new cee’d would be more to your liking? Or you could road test the new Sorento, a thoroughly modern seven-seat SUV. These are just some of the new models on offer.

There are currently a range of deals and savings to be made across Kia’s latest range. You’ll also experience complete reliability and practicality, combined with a strong sense of style.

From attractive on-the-road prices to good value finance offers, and customer savings, your next Kia vehicle could cost less than you thought.

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