Filed under: Chrysler, LLC., Hyundai, Jeep, Kia
No more home turf advantage - Kia sales outpacing Jeeps in Toledo
It looks like residents of Ohio's Lucas County, home to Jeep's Toledo HQ, aren't buying into the hype, even if they're the ones building the things. Part of it is that Kia plays in more segments than Jeep, so while the brands do compete, Kia has an edge. We're not saying we want to see a Jeep minivan. In fact, we wish that the money spent on the Compass would have gone into making the Patriot's interior better, or at least not so cheap, rather than trying to deliver a Jeep for every taste.
The fact remains that registrations of new Kias jumped 20 percent in the last year, versus Jeep's near stagnant sales numbers. Kia's price-leader status likely has a lot to do with that growth. Jeep's premium airs and SUV/CUV specialization also don't do the brand any favors when it comes to appealing to Toledo buyers. The desire for an affordable fuel-efficient vehicle, not necessarily in the SUV form factor, makes a good argument for buying a Kia. It would be interesting to see a more apples to apples breakdown, though, as the numbers are merely brand totals, not broken into segments. If you were to examine total sales of the parent companies, rather than just divisions, Chrysler crushes Hyundai/Kia in Toledo.
Thanks for the tip, Tom!
[Source: Toledo Blade]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JC3 12:25PM (8/22/2007)
Must be an economically depressed area.Kia-riffic article though.Are You selling Kias?
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Bob-omb 12:34PM (8/22/2007)
Or maybe people realize that even Kia's SUVs are better than the Compass or Patriot.
Don 3:15PM (8/22/2007)
Or maybe people just want cheap, well-built (*shudder*), economic cars.
tenaciousJk 1:45PM (8/23/2007)
Econimically depressed... maybe. But when the Kia dealership has a better marketing budget (or plan), and what appears to be excess inventory that they'll just unload for nothing, you get this story.
I drive by the Kia dealership everyday. They have a 75 ft tower with a huge video screen right on the freeway. Since they installed that, sales have increased tremendously. They run more ads than Yark (the Jeep dealer) and , no-joke, have offered buy-one-get-one-free car deals.
To me it's just a sign that Yark & Jeep, etc. don't know how to market to their core customer properly.
Mr. Oak 12:29PM (8/22/2007)
I wonder what percentage of the residents in Crewe, England drives Bentleys?
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Mallory 12:34PM (8/22/2007)
So cheap economy cars are selling better than expensive SUV's that get crappy gas mileage? Get outta here...
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uhh 5:46PM (8/22/2007)
Less than half of Kia's sales are their passenger cars. Most people buy the SUVs and minivans.
Jason 12:41PM (8/22/2007)
wtf? that's so far beyond apples to apples, it's like apples to... potatoes.
Now, if Hummer was outselling Jeep up there, then that might be a story...
In other news... Jeep is outselling TOYOTA. And it's over 2x the sales of Saturn. Big whoop. Again, that's comparing fruits vs veggies.
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Barney 5:59PM (8/22/2007)
I agree. The Jeep is a specialized vehicle and not for your average consumer. KIA on the other hand sells affordable cars for the average consumer.
John Cressy 12:45PM (8/22/2007)
Toledo famous for Jeep, Mud Hens, and Klinger (MASH). I'd buy a Wrangler or a Liberty before a FlexiFlyer KIA.
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J Veneziano 5:38PM (8/22/2007)
"FlexiFlyer Kia"?
Talk about archaic thinking. Obviously you've been living in a cave during the past four years or so. Take a look at Kias and Hyundais and see why they're so rated so far beyond most American makes in quality, reliability, and value. And then drop the Anti-foreign vehicle attitude.
John Cressy 12:45PM (8/22/2007)
Toledo famous for Jeep, Mud Hens, and Klinger (MASH). I'd buy a Wrangler or a Liberty before a FlexiFlyer KIA.
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Brian 12:47PM (8/22/2007)
I love this part of the article...
Although the Korean vehicles may be selling well, Dave Doster, sales manager for Yark Automotive Group in Sylvania Township, said they lack the prestige, durability, reliability, and terrain capability of Jeep products. The Jeep line includes the Toledo-built Liberty and Wrangler.
Pretty hilarious, considering that Hyundai supplies Jeep with the frame of the new Jeep Wrangler.
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FThorn 1:07PM (8/22/2007)
Do you have a cite for that statement? I have not heard of Hyundai being a Jeep supplier.
Brian 1:33PM (8/22/2007)
Source - AutoNews:
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040809/SUB/408090766&SearchID=73291048594787
Hyundai Mobis is a supplier with a relationship to Hyundai that's similar to what Aisin-Werner has in terms of its relationship to parent Toyota.
Kowell 3:11PM (8/22/2007)
Chrysler and Hyundai indeed have a few commercial ties. In fact, Chrysler sells a rebadged Hyundai Accent in Mexico. THey also codevelopped (with Mitsubishi) the 3 world engines.
John Cressy 7:09PM (8/22/2007)
Since Jeep was looking for a good price, why not outsource it to a Korean company. As long as it's built to specification. After all Korea has the most first rate steel plants in the world. All less than 50 years old. Thanks to us. I also noticed Venture mentioned in the article. The Venture plant near my house which used to be The Bailey Company is now a vacant lot waiting for a Super Wal-Mart. They used to make window channels, and molded plastic parts for automobiles, like bumpers.
John Cressy 7:09PM (8/22/2007)
Since Jeep was looking for a good price, why not outsource it to a Korean company. As long as it's built to specification. After all Korea has the most first rate steel plants in the world. All less than 50 years old. Thanks to us. I also noticed Venture mentioned in the article. The Venture plant near my house which used to be The Bailey Company is now a vacant lot waiting for a Super Wal-Mart. They used to make window channels, and molded plastic parts for automobiles, like bumpers.
El Norte 9:54PM (8/22/2007)
It's regurgitated arse-fodder like the bilge Brian spewed out that starts rumors. The frame of the JK was in no way, shape, or form supplied by Kia (or Hyundai). The link provided doesn't state this, nor can Brian come up with any link because he made it up.
Does Kia even make a body-on-frame vehicle?
Brian 9:34AM (8/23/2007)
Um, the article explicitly states that Hyundai Mobis is the chassis supplier for the Jeep Wrangler there, hoss. Apparently, reading comprehension > you.
Oh, and the original Kia Sportage was BOF. The Kia Sorento is BOF. And the new Kia Mojave SUV is an all-new BOF platform, too.