Since I’ll be posting a few
articles this week that are Kia themed, I figured this would be a good time to
kick off a NEW SEGMENT on Adam’s Autos! From time to time now, I’ll be posting
interesting facts about various cars, brands, etc. that you may have not known.
It’s another way for me to bring you relevant and interesting content, while
staying true to the theme of this site. So without further ado, let’s get
rollin’!
1. Did you
know that Kia was initially
a bicycle company?
Yes indeed! First founded in 1944,
Kia was a steel tubing and a bicycle parts manufacturer. The company’s first
bike rolled out in 1950, and the brand’s first car, the Brisa, was introduced
in 1974.
2. Did you
know that Kia launched in the United States with just four dealerships?
Shocking, but true. Kia’s launch into
the American marketplace in the 90's was turbulent, as their cars were only available in
limited places and also sold primarily on price only. Now, the brand is well
established and sells cars for many good reasons. Which leads me to my third fact…
3. Kia was recently
ranked the highest brand in initial quality in 2016.
This may come as a surprise to
some, but with only 83 problems per 100 vehicles last year, Kia beat out brands
such as Porsche, Toyota, BMW, and even sister-brand Hyundai in initial quality ratings!
The industry average was 105 in 2016. It was the only non-luxury brand to clinch
the honor in the past 27 years.
Research, Research
 |
| The advertisement I made to pitch the 2017 Forte S to millennial buyers. Its very well equipped for $25,000, but many were still weary... |
The final fact I listed was actually part
of some research I performed for a project a few months ago in college. I
analyzed what millennials’ perceptions of the Kia brand are and if they felt
their models were affordable for our age group. I also surveyed other ages of
individuals, and my findings were interesting. After showing a video about the 2017
Forte to my focus group, I discovered that nearly all individuals except a
couple felt that a $25,000 car was too expensive for a young professional. Part
of their reasoning behind this is that there would be other bills besides the
car note to pay, such as student loans. I created my own advertisement for the 2017
Kia Forte S, which can be equipped with features such as a 10-way power memory
driver’s seat, heated seats, a sunroof, HD Radio, autonomous braking,
blind-spot monitoring, and much more for just over $25,000. I hoped this would
give more of a visual representation to my target audience.
Online Data Shows...
Even more interesting, however,
were my online survey findings. Based on the results I pulled, 67% of online
participants felt as though $25,000 WAS reasonable for a young professional to
afford, totally opposite of my focus group. This online survey was taken by
mainly millennials as well. Among other important factors cited by survey
participants, many said that performance was a key attribute they look for in
their new car purchases. As many of you may know, Kia will be coming out with
the 2018 Stinger, a dedicated sports car, this coming fall 2017. If you want
more info on that, look back to one of my prior posts on the 2017 NAIAS. (Link: http://www.adamsautos.org/2017/01/my-fave-5-coolest-rides-from-naias-2017.html) This
model may possibly satisfy some of those potential buyers. Additionally, most
individuals in both the focus group and from the online survey felt as though
features such as Bluetooth, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, and various safety technologies
were necessary.
Regardless of the survey, online or
in person, many individuals were surprised that Kia had won high quality awards
recently. Does that change your perception of the brand in some way? Did you
already know about these awards? There’s always options outside of “the usual
bunch”, and Kia definitely intends to continue moving upmarket from the looks
of it.
I intend to make one final Kia week
post soon, so stay tuned!
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