Kia has announced that it sold 152,826 vehicles globally in November, which is 53.2 per cent more than what was achieved in the same month last year. Total sales for the first eleven months of 2009 is up by by 17 per cent year-on-year to 1,489,204 units.
Of this, the Chinese market experienced the highest gain with 221,722 units sold to date, a massive 65.2 per cent increase. Home market Korea, general markets (ASEAN is in this category), and North America also showed cumulative year-on-year sales increases of 26.8 per cent, 14.7 per cent and 9.5 per cent respectively.
Kia’s best selling model in overseas markets for 2009 has been the C-segment Forte with 269,864 units sold. After that comes the Rio, Sportage 4×4, Euro-only C-segment cee’d and the Picanto. Sales of the latter two hatchbacks in Europe have been buoyed by scrappage schemes, where Governments provide cash incentives to encourage the buying of new cars in a sluggish economy. Many were convinced by low prices – after adding the discount to the already modest sticker price of Kias – and a super long warranty (7 years in the UK).
Perhaps the local Kia distributor should have a such a warranty scheme to repair customer confidence and boost brand image/resale values. Hyundai currently boasts Malaysia’s longest warranty at five years or 300,000km.
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the forte is really a nice car, but to install a warranty program as long as 7 years will require huge cost/investment.
although this will no doubt skyrocket the brand awareness and spoil the market. lol.
1st !? (……again……)
my mind is torn between civic 2.0 & this forte 2.0, definately the specs is different, but price wise oso a factor. haiz……
learn history…this is how Kia do well in china not japanese car….wake up Malaysian!!
Agree 101% if the warranty issue.
Like all new Kia vehicles now sold in Australia, the new Kia SOUL will be covered by the peace of mind offered by Kia's 5-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for private buyers (5-year/130,000kms for fleet buyers).
If Kia can offer this to Msian mkt. i bet Forte sales would explode.!!
I have not seen any Forte's in UK but I have seen quite a few of Soul's and oddtimes Cee'd. I am not sure which part of Europe likes saloons, but not UK which prefer hatch
The Forte is not sold in the UK. I meant the two hatchbacks – cee'd and Picanto
The UK market is right handle market.
Most Hyundai/Kia cars are Left handle car.
so, not all hyundai/Kia models are selling in UK.
stupid naza…wake up and learn! only 2 yrs or 50000 warranty!! naza just care about da sales and NOT service! this is disappointing…
Just brought back wife's Forte 1.6SX from the showroom after registration at JPJ. Being an Altis 1.8G 2005 owner myself…well I'm very impressed by its performance and build quality for the asking price. For sharing, my wife's Forte is a CBU unit direct from Korea. I have the copies of AP i.e. K1 & JK69 for safekeeping. The registration card also mentioned "Kenderaan Import Baru". The Forte arrived at Port Klang on 9/11/09 and we took the delivery on 11/12/09. Just wondering, where exactly NAZA took the time and place to replace the KIA badges with NAZA badges for the front grille, rear bonnet and also at the rims. I did ask the salesman if they did the swap, unfortunately they didn't otherwise they would be very happy to give back the KIA badge. Hence, I'm beginning to suspect there must be a lot of KIA Forte's badges will be sold at underground with hefty profits eventually.
The Kia forte awarded "car of the year" by U.S. National Automobile Dealers Association.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nadaguide…
Even with 10 years warranty M'sian dont see it! They will say it is a problem car that why with 10 years warranty. They prefer Honda with 3 years or 1 year…stupid
1.6 or 2.0 aa? which one aa?
Mate yesterday i saw this Forte with test drive sticker…..well first i thought its a Audi or usdm civic from behind…….its look huge and very cool car in live…..better then civic and altis but dunno how about fuel consp and spare parts price.(dont care about resale value cos all bullshits)
Go for 2.0 for more better safety & performance..
Dear M Tan,
Please refrain from writing good stuff about the FORTE. I would like to purchase one in February, but your good write-ups about the FORTE may push-up the demand and drying up the stock by the time I want to book the car.
I demand that you desist from continuing to 'promote' the FORTE. I suggest that you be a good Malaysian and reserve your praises only for products carrying the TOYOTA or HONDA badge. This way more FORTE will be available for 'real' car affcionados.
Thank you :-)
Sorry, it's supposed to read "Dear Mr Tan".
100% agreed with racer. when less warranty they say poor service, when give longer warranty, they say problematic car. kiasi malaysians :P
Consumer would not argue with $$. If the car is good, consumer will buy.
I think at least, it worth better than the P-brand cars.
Naza, you've heard that! You give more then you will receive more in return!
You should be confident of Kia vehicles and give 5 – 7 years warranty! Combining the Kia warranty with it's current good review, your sales will soar!
that is typical malaysian says that less warranty poor service and longer warranty is problematic car. i would says it doesnt matter to me as long as kia will provide many service center every corner of malaysia (just like toyota & honda did) and with reasonable spare parts price. definitely i will go for kia (forte i mean)…
that is typical malaysian says that less warranty poor service and longer warranty is problematic car. i would says it doesnt matter to me as long as kia will provide many service center every corner of malaysia (just like toyota & honda did) and with reasonable spare parts price. definitely i will go for kia (forte i mean)….
my pov,
Koreans are getting better,
the only problem for the korean brand in malaysia is the distributor here,
naza = kia, hyundai = simedarby inokom,
naza = good marketing, but poor after sales services,
simedarby inokom = poor marketing, good after sales services…
and the other very significant problems is, malaysian mentality towards korean cars….
If malaysian think other car Jap/Kor?Cont so problematic, then pakai proton atau perodua la samapai kiamat. Malaysian are like "Katak Bawah Tempurung"
Good job!! But i really hope it got 4-5 years warranty…… 7-10 years will be hard…..and ya, ,maybe malaysian will say it is a lousy car lol :D
how about our best selling car maker in Malaysia… only Juara kampung???
prrrrtfhhh
I dont really worry about the resale value but after sale service and spare parts price would normally affect my buying decision as i going to use the car for long period.
forte sell well because its really good looking car..
the facelift 'copy' honda accord euro ..
if proton bring the 'china design of gen2' here, will sell like hot cakes..
Kia would recall forte / cerato in no time… there was several problem already in forte's suspension / handling.
Yes there is sure to be problem regardless in any manufacturer or product. be it Proton or Audi, Samsung or Khind or MEC. But one thing for sure the NazaKia only want sale target only service belakang kira. Just like proton. Semua mau ikut abang Proton doing business. No long term relation with customer.
Kia selling so well in China. Where is Proton in China? Time to buck up!!!
When VW re-entered the US market in the 90s with the new Beetle, they offered a 10-year warranty which was unheard of back then. The perception it gave people was that VW was so confident with their car build that they don't mind offering 10 years as it won't bankrupt them.
yeahaa <- proton employee afraid it, and spread false.
I have not seen the car in flesh, so, not able to tell that much. But from the looks of it, I guess it's worth buying. :)
quite a no. ppl bought it and they give it a 2 year warranty in malaysia.
even kia seller in malaysia donnt hv confident of the car .
ha,ha,ha lucu la si lampak nie!!!!
kia seller pun tak nak pakai keta kia,ha,ha,ha!!!!!!!!
@lampak
Sadly, Naza use 40% of part from made in malaysia.
it is not a 100% same car with Kia model in global market.
if not CBU, 40% are protron quality
saw 1 yesterday, saw 1 today… damn nice!
Just too nice for the price (Forte 2.0) if it is CBU from Korea. I think Naza will increase price even if it is CKD, if sales is very good. After-sale service for Naza, phui/phei(meludah). Hope they improve, otherwise their future models will not in the list of my next new car (interested in Genesis/Tucson/Sonata YF, all cantique and after-sale service better).
I'd test drive that car yesterday, the power and handling is way better then i aspect-ed from Kia. The dashboard look better from the leaflet. Kudos Kia!!!
I really like the design of the car nearly booked the car although my intention is just to look at the car not buying it. Fortunately my interest is turn off with the 2 year warranty if Naza would had promoted with 5 years warranty I would be driving a Forte soon :-)
Me too don't worry about 2nd value of car as I don't intend to sell a car very often my aim is to drive at lest 10 years. Unfortunately sparepart is a big problem for Kia car in Malaysia. I had a friend who drive Spectra 5 got no complain on the car for 2 years plus then when the window got smash by thief it took him 1 month plus to have it replae. This is a nightmare.
well, when they ckd the car in msia, what kind of quality do you expect.. slip-shot work, parts will be falling off by 2 years and hence, that is why naza cannot afford to give a longer warranty period, they'll go bankrupt on claims for their shoddy work!
hmm… guys, naza product is not as bad as perodua and proton, trust me, i bought two of it, and coming three. i drive a Naza ria, A sorento, coming the forte, believe me, maybe there will be some electronic problems from the radio, (clarion's fault) but it wasnt their fault. 40% local doesnt meant tht they are 40% more likely like proton or perodua. I admit the after sales service is bad, but then, the quality and technology, we actually dont really need the service as much as we drive a proton. and the price, its worth it, if you drive a sylphy, forte will be better, civic, it has almost the same thing, in terms of safety, technology, trust me. not because of the forte is korean, its not compareable to civic. remember, hyundai-kia, is currently, the top on the list biggest car manufacturers in the world, if the world residents love it, y cant malaysians? I'm not promoting KIA, because they give me nothing. Aware, listen, read, and drive the KIA. You will understand what am I saying.
The Kia Forte is really a nice looking and stylist car . The price, the warranty period and especilly the aftersale service plus spart parts are the major deteminating factors of a buyer. Hope the spart pares are readily available if needed. I`ll wait and see for the update test drive report of the Forte. In fact this is the korean car won car of the year in Europe if I`m not wrong.
RM90000, 2.0 liter, 6 airbeg.
any contender??
In USA
Kia Forte= 2.0 liter 6 airbag = USD 14000++
Civic = 1.8 liter 2 front 2 side airbag = USD 15000
Altis/Corolla = 1.8 liter 2 front 2 side = USD 16000 ++
No honda City, no vios in USA.
see how much Honda/toyota malaysia Over charge???
This is one of the best built Kia car I have ever seen and there's soon will be the Soul coming up next. For those whose said they don't care about the resale value, I sure hope you'll never experience/go through the worst purchase like I did!! Everybody and everyone that purchase a car will hope to be able to use it for more than 7 years or so but what if the car that you bought brand new and have tons and tons of problematic issue that even they (the dealer) couldn't rectify?
By then, you will know how big/important the resale value is going to help you in this matter. Imagine a car worth RM77k…drop it price 40% after just 6 months, with loan 90% plus interest you have no where to go but to churn out a hefty RM40k more to ditch this "brand new" car since the resale value is just RM42k!! Don't come out such silly statement just because you never experience it, coz if this thing does hit in your face…by then you'll know!
Kia is a good brand which like their parent company Hyundai is improving time to time. I loved the Forte and have decent faith in Kia but NEVER, EVER on NAZA…
Naza is one big profit sucker from Rafidah Aziz business project. Dont forget that she was boasting everyday how average malaysians were stupid and SHE is the only capable person to run our country affairs. The big secret is she was forced to resign because her addiction for keeping toy boys were just cannot be contained anymore. Now that she keeping low profile her lifestyle of keeping toy boys are going overboard. So dont be surprise Naza charging you tons of money for changing the badge on Kia models.
this car is awesome!
So Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G is at least 15% overcharged (downspec-ed already in Malaysia); the 1.8G should be priced around RM102K, likewise Honda Civic. Calculate this way, the Camry 2.4V should be sold at around RM148 000 only. Hey, Sonata 2.4 only cost around RM129K if I am right. Greedy and Sombonglah these Toyota and Honda. Remember? When TOYOTA Innova 2.0G, G ya, first came out, there was only one airbag. Hey ONE only, at a price more than RM100K.
So, when you buy Camry 2.4, you have already paid RM20k spareparts upfront, no matter your car get problems or not in one year. Plus the interest RM3000(for 5 years….). You see Sportage RM90K compared to CRV RM145 000, the difference is not only RM55K, it is around RM65,000 depending on how long you loan is. And… this RM65 000 can be used to buy how many spareparts hah???
Kia forte certainly generates so much interest and attracts a lot of attentions from the malaysian public. I booked one on the 25th of November, the saleman told me my car has arrived but they did not receive the AP from KL which is needed for inspection by the Puspakom. Hope to get my car next week. I agreed with one of reviewer from our local newspapaer when he said forte is the car for the rakyat. I think it is an eye opener for P1 and P2, we had be short changed for so long. I hope things will get better in the future.
hmm… maybe about naza, its forgiven, because, they are still very new in automotive manufacturing arena. I'm satisfied with Naza products, I've been driving Naza Ria, since 2004. You know what? it performs like the best for a 5 years old MPV with 200,000KM odo. Now, i'm driving my 2008 sorento, it stills feel great!!!
and guys, come on, no politic gossips or story here.
For every car make / brand, there is bound to have littly problems here and there after you take delivery such as noises coming from somewhere which you can never detect, when you drive, errm.. poor sound insulation from above rear wheels where your passengers can hear from inside the car which you never noticed as you are the driver, parts loosening, quality control is the key here as every part of the assembly involves human touches together with autobots, sorry, those robot arms they use in production lines, but seriously, for the latest KIA Forte, it has nice looks, carrying with it a nice decent 2.0L engine able to generate 156 hp which is 1, I repeat, one horse higher than the standard Civic 2.0, nice interior, equipped with many gadgets and most of all, its price, below RM95k? I believe it is cheaper than our Perdana which can be considered as now, a Classic, owing to its design and all else, which had received very little attention from R&D, and the people from Proton, and I am no automobile expert, if I was responsible, I will probably do a total makeover of our dear old Perdana by now, by redesigning its chassis, souped it up with large enough sport rims, re-badge and rebrand the Perdana, put in nice suspension system, redo the very old-looking interior, and price it competitively, sorry, back to The Forte, hey, if I have only a certain budget to change my new car, CERTAINLY, I will be considering this one! The Kia Forte. Yes, we hear about stories of Korean make cars, but hey, in other countires, both Kia and Hyundai are respected and their cars, sell very well. Give it a try, and let other brands run for their money. No cars are perfect. Certainly my own Civic 2.0 is not perfect but I still enjoy the car, very much! Drive the car to the extent that it gives you satisfaction like hearing the engine roar when you rev it, feel its road handling, take corners, go fast, go slow, over take safely, give way, play the music, cruise, shower / wash your car once a while, hey thats what cars are for. It is part of the driver. The KIA Forte will give you the same satisfaction! Seize the day! Cape diem! Go test drive it and buy it, try the 2.0L one!
yes buy the damn Forte…..we complain when cars are expensive….then when there is an affordable car we still complain its not Honda la not Toyota la…..copy Honda la copy Toyota la……problemamtic car la….high consumption la….bunch of Malaysian bullshits if u ask me…..Forte is damn good car, nice one and priced at a damn good value…..this is the begining of the upcoming of the underdogs…..Toyota and Honda cant be the god of automotive in Malaysian mindset forever…..screw them who say the Forte looks like Honda in front and the Lambo looks like a Toyota from behind!!! My bro-in-law's 3 week Civic is giving ratling sound around the seats oledi!
Go Korean!!
I've just get my new Forte..and loving every inch of it!!! People will gives thumbs up at traffic light and this is quite a feat for korean cars!
Mine is 1.6SX..full CBU..got the AP cert etc(the first 300? batch will be the lucky one) maybe they want to make a good first impression before the full CKD rolling in.
I've drived City and Vios..(huge fan of City) and i can only said that it won hands down compared to the other two (price and equipment wise). The noise insulation is brilliant, although the 17inch tyres translate the road imperfection a bit than the 15inches its handles and soak road bumps nicely. The 1.6 engine also surprisingly smooth and perky plus with no apparent lag from the auto tyranny too.
Love the keyless entry and stop/start button (nice conversation piece with office mate). The dashboard plastic is quite good and nicely setup…had the word 'quality' stamped all over it. I can go on about the equipment list…the chromic rear mirror (good for night time visiblity) , six(!!) cd changer and ipod connectivity, climate control, EBD, ABS, airbag,traction control..all for 81k!!
the only letdown is the naza badge….anyone know where can i get the 'KIA' badge?
forte newowner, congrats. I am still waiting for the AP to arrive. As for the KIA emblem. try login mudah.com.my and search for kia forte original logo.
happy motoring.
wah cannot tahan to test drive maa..
wic one is better….kia forte 2.0 or honda city…
MiZi10,
honda city is not worthy to compare with kia forte 2.0. to compare wit forte 1.6 also not worthy. honda city is just worthy to compare wit toyota vios and other 1.5cc models only.
thanks for the advice samn…do u drive that car….but what do u think about hyundai avante..same price range & oso 2.0 egine but with longer warranty…
MiZi10,
Yes, I am. Actually, it's up to your preferences in cars. To me, my priorites in selecting starts with 1st specifications (engine/hp/cc/weight/torque/safety/accessories/ice/quality within price range/websites reviews), 2nd price (can I afford this car), 3rd the interior/exterior design (question yourself, do I like this look? would this design made to last, etc) and last practicality (how/where/when/why you want this car).
I chose Forte over Vios G & City S after taken those 4 priorities. For sharing, I do have 2005 1.8G Altis (no loan anymore) but I did the same thing back then when I bought it. May be you should try this method when selecting which car you want to buy. Usually, I collect the brochures first and compare specifications, then have a test drive all the shortlisted cars, last use those 4 things mentioned to decide.
Hyundai Avente…for me I hate the dashboard look, the aircond vent location is awkward, the white controls function look silly against the entire black dashboard and some glow in purple…sorry not for me…the car failed my interior design test. Well it's up to everybody's preferences. Good Luck!
hey all, i just tedted forte 4 days ago, i can tell u guys, this car has better handling and smooth engine if compare to Honda city and Vios.
But now, when i ask the sales gal, she also asked me to buy CBU rather than CKD unit. Sigh, sales person also worry abt their own CKD units, how to do business like that?
So, i am quite satisfied with this car, exterior and interior, but now, only worry abt the warranty period (2 years only), the after sales service, and when i searched through Sg website, many people complained abt the windscreen problem as it will self – cracked. Hmmm…..another worries……
Just to share my research to those serious buyers. May b i am wrong, u can check it out with KIA agents. Happy hunting~