We take a look at 2009 as Kia Motors prepares to unveil a new Times Square billboard on New Years Eve
The view from the Summit
At Summit Place Kia in metro Detroit, we would like to take this time to thank all of our customers for helping make 2009 the most successful year yet for us. We began the year with the addition of a second dealership in Canton, Michigan, which we acquired in December of 2008.
In January, we began receiving our first shipments of the new Kia Soul and Kia Motors unveiled the Soul’ster Concept at the Detroit Auto Show. Kia Motors President Byung Mo Ahn paid a visit to our Waterford store after Kia’s auto show presentation.
In February, Summit Place Kia announced its inaugural “Buy one get one free” car sale – which turned out to be a huge success!
In March, the Kia Soul won its first award as “Best New Model” from British lifestyle magazine Fast Car.
In April, Summit Place Kia set a record as the number one dealer in metro Detroit for sales for the 15th straight month, while the Kia Forte Koup was recognized as “Best In Show” at the New York Auto Show.
In May, the new Kia Soul received top scores in the NHTSA vehicle safety test while also receiving a 5 Star Euro NCAP safety rating
In June, the Kia Soul’ster Concept was named the 2009 Concept Truck of the Year at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, while Summit Place Kia marked its 17th straight month as metro Detroit’s Kia sales leader
July marked the launch of the new Kia Forte Koup and the third all-new Kia model for 2009, as Summit Place Kia marked the beginning of the “cash for clunkers” program and record sales for both the Waterford and Canton locations.
In August, Summit Place Kia became the number one dealer, in sales, for the entire state of Michigan! The new Kia Forte was NADAguides Car of the Month and the Kia Soul was named to the TIME.com list of “Most Exciting Cars of 2010”.
September marked the beginning of the NCAA college football season and Summit Place Kia announced its affiliation with the University of Michigan athletic department as a Proud Automotive Partner of Michigan Athletics. Go Blue!
In October, Kia Motors released images of a sedan, the Kia Cadenza that is set to replace the Amanti model in 2010 while we announced that, for the 21st month in a row, Summit Place Kia was the number one dealer, for sales, in metro Detroit.
November marked the month in which the new 2010 Kia Soul was awarded a “Top Safety Pick” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The new Kia Cadenza made its Korean debut and, once again, Summit Place Kia was number one in sales for metro Detroit and in Michigan.
Although there are still a few days left in December, this month has marked the debut of the new 2011 Kia Sorento, while two Kias, the 2010 Kia Soul and the 2010 Kia Sedona, have been named “2010 Automotive Best Buys” by Consumers Digest Magazine.
So how will we follow up this momentous year in 2010? Here is how Kia Motors plans to do it:
All-New 2011 Kia Sorento Takes Up Residence in The Big Apple
Compact CUV Lives Large On Times Square Billboard
IRVINE, Calif. – Kia Motors America (KMA) is moving into one of the world’s highest profile advertising arenas – New York City’s Times Square – with a new billboard showcasing the all-new 2011 Kia Sorento CUV. The 60 foot by 40 foot advertisement, located at One Times Square at the intersection of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, is one of the first elements of the largest new product rollout in KMA’s history, and will introduce the first Kia vehicle built in the US with both US and foreign parts to more than more 500,000 people every day.
“From tourists and theatergoers to the New Year’s Eve ball drop, millions of people from all over the world will get their first glimpse of the all-new Sorento, the latest chapter in Kia’s design-led brand transformation,” said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing, KMA. “Kia Motors’ U.S. market share is growing quickly, and establishing a presence in America’s most iconic advertising venue is a natural fit for the first Kia vehicle to be built on U.S. soil.”
In addition to the Times Square billboard, the all-new Sorento also is the “Official Vehicle of the NBA” for the current basketball season. The first vehicle to roll off the line at Kia Motors’ state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia, the new Sorento adopts Kia signature design cues and offers the U.S. market a well-equipped, well-appointed and versatile CUV suited perfectly for the time and a fun, dynamic generation of drivers.
From all of us to all of you
As you can see, it has been quite a year for us at Summit Place Kia. We would, again, like to thank all of you, our customers, for making this the best year yet! As always, to schedule a test drive, or for more information on our entire line-up of high quality, affordable Kias, you can contact us at our Waterford store by calling 248-682-6002 or by dialing 734-397-9900 for our Canton store. You can also check us out on the web at www.summitplacekia.com. Better yet, stop by one of our two dealerships located at 2200 Elizabeth Lake Road in Waterford, just behind the Summit Place mall or in Canton at 41840 Michigan Avenue, just west of I-275 and see why everyone at metro Detroit’s sales leader and Proud Automotive Sponsor of Michigan Athletics would “Love to see ‘ya” in a Summit Place Kia!
