During the first half of 2015, Kia posted sales of 200,038, representing the best-ever six month period recorded by the Korean brand in Europe.

Compared to the first half of 2014, this represents growth of 7.6%. At the same time, the second quarter of 2015 was the brand's best-ever quarterly sales total, with 103,946 units registered - the first time Kia has broken through the 100,000 barrier in any one quarter.

Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motors Europe, commented: "2015 to date has been a great period for Kia in Europe, with sales records tumbling and new highs reached. We're delighted that Kia continues to grow, consistently and sustainably, and that an increasing number of motorists are drawn to our range of high quality, high value cars."

Cole added: "Kia is focused on developing an unrivalled level of quality in its products, and an industry-leading level of service at every customer touchpoint. We want customers to enjoy buying and owning their Kia cars, and our record sales demonstrate that our approach is working.

New and updated models drive 7.6% sales growth

Kia's first quarter growth has been driven by rising sales of the all-new Kia Soul, which went on-sale across Europe at the start of the year (first half sales up 112% year-on-year, to 7,042 units), as well as the new Sorento SUV, with 5,670 units sold so far this year.

Two recently upgraded models, the Venga and Rio, also performed strongly through Q2 and the first half, with 15,386 (+11.8% year-on-year) and 33,059 (+6.1%) units sold respectively.

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