Kia named Best Car Manufacturer by Which?

CONSUMER champion Which? has named Korean car maker Kia as its Best Car Manufacturer for 2012.
Which? praised the company for its “superb new range of cars”. It also singled out the company’s excellent value for money and its “industry-leading” seven-year warranty. It was Kia’s first attempt at the title.
Presenting the award, Which? chief executive Peter Vicary-Smith said: “This is the first time Kia has made the shortlist and to walk off with the title is a significant achievement.”
He went on to praise Kia for being one of the top ranked brands in the 2012 Which? Car survey for both customer satisfaction and reliability. Kia beat off competition from BMW, Hyundai, Skoda and Toyota to take the prize.
Which? said in its commendation: “Kia’s new Rio, Sorento and Picanto have all impressed in our Test Lab, while the new cee’d and Optima get the thumbs-up from our initial road tests. Compared to where it was just five years ago, we feel that Kia is the most improved car brand around.”
Kia Motors (UK) Limited managing director Michael Cole said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award — especially at the first attempt. It marks the culmination of several years of hard work by our designers, engineers and by our dealers who are as committed as we are to give our customers an outstanding buying and ownership experience. We see this as a great honour as Which? has a long history of championing the consumer and being remarkably thorough in its testing process.”
Which? is the UK’s biggest not-for-profit consumer organisation, now more than 50 years old, and has a strong record in recommending only thoroughly tested products to its more than one million subscriber base. It seeks to advise its subscribers and campaigns top improve safety and fairness.