2014 Kia Optima, Soul Break March Sales Records

Kia may have gotten its sales momentum back on track in March, when record-setting performances from the 2014 Kia Optima and Soul helped the brand to its biggest monthly gain in more than a year. With 54,777 deliveries, Kia sales jumped by 11.5 percent last month and the company now is well ahead of its record volume pace from the prior year. And while it's a pair of familiar faces that's doing most of the heavy lifting here, March actually saw five Kia vehicles finish the month in the black.

The 2014 Kia Forte earned 7,048 sales and reported an 18.8 percent increase in deliveries over the same month last year, as customers are no doubt attracted to a package that Vincentric recently named the Best Overall Value of the Year in its class. The turnstiles were spinning even faster for the 2014 Kia Sportage, however, and the compact crossover benefited from a 33.2 percent sales boost and delivered 3,571 vehicles. But by far the biggest gainer for Kia came from an unexpected source: The 2014 Kia Sedona minivan, which suddenly went from 54 deliveries in March 2013 to 641 last month, for an increase in excess of 1,000 percent.

As for those benchmark-breaking vehicles mentioned above, the 2014 Kia Optima was good for 16,310 sales and a 13.6 percent improvement in volume, while the redesigned Soul remained funky enough to garner a 15.8 percent sales leap and deliver 13,992 units.

(The brand also reminds folks that the 2014 Kia Optima—at least in certain configurations—is built in this country at the Kia production facility in West Point, Ga.)

Said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Kia Motors America: “2014 marks Kia’s 20th anniversary in the U.S. and our performance in March helped first quarter sales rise 4.8-percent over last year, thanks to strong consumer traffic and the ongoing popularity of the Optima and Soul. With K900s now arriving in dealerships, Kia’s product portfolio is more refined than ever and offers world-class design, advanced technology and outstanding quality in every segment we compete in, from subcompact to luxury.”