The winners of the “2021 Russian Car of the Year” – one of the most prestigious Russian annual automotive award – have been announced in Moscow. Kia took top prizes in six categories, as was decided by Russian people online voting.
Recently introduced at the Russian market Kia Carnival crossvan was recognized the winner in the “Minivans” category, with Kia Sorento and Kia K5 voted the best in the “Mid-size SUV” and “Business class” categories. Kia Seltos outranged competitors for the second consecutive year in the “Compact SUV” category, while for the sub-compact Picanto hatchback the 2021 victory in the “Urban Car” category turned impressive sixth in a row. For the first time in its history in Russia, Kia is awarded with the title “Favorite brand in mass segment “.
“We are extremely proud that this year Kia has won a record number of awards at the Russian Car of the – one of the most important automotive competitions. Our models became the best in five classes. However the title of “Favorite brand in mass segment” is exceptional honor for us. It has been staying an emotional target for us over a dozen of years, being a symbol of recognition and trust of Russian consumers. We appreciate a lot the success we have achieved in Russia. The requirements for a car among Russian car owners are much stronger than in other markets due to difficult road, climate conditions and people’s expectations that the car will become a reliable assistant for all occasions. For us, this success means that for millions of customers in Russia, Kia cars meet all requirements and provide excellent customer experience for their owners. Eventually, this is the goal of all our work”. – commented Alexander Migal, Managing Director of Kia Russia & CIS.
Kia remains the Russia’s best-selling foreign brand for seven consecutive years, with over 200,000 units sold annually for three years in a row. Recently company has achieved a milestone of 2 million Kia cars sold since 2009 (the year when the local distributor office was founded.
The best in “Minivans” category, Kia Carnival is the latest addition of Kia’s local lineup. Created under crossvan concept, the all-new Carnival combines the advantages of minivan, crossover and business-class vehicles, preserving the iconic features of predecessors’ and acquiring the design features of the brand’s latest SUV lineup. Some solutions introduced by the all-new Carnival are first-ever for Kia vehicles while some are the world’s first.
The fourth generation Sorento is the Kia’s newly updated SUV lineup’s key model. The generation change flashed the flagship brand’s SUV to new design and equipment level benchmarks. April 2021 Sorento sales turned to be the best at Russian market ever, proving the “The Russian best midsize SUV” title in an extremely competitive class. That national award follows multiple international accolades like Red Dot, iF Design, “Golden Steering Wheel”, “Best Women’s Car of the Year”, etc.
Kia K5 undisputedly got top laurels in its class, inheriting Optima sedan twice-time triumph. Launched in Russia in late 2020, K5 keeps the outstanding records for several months in a row, entering Top-3 of Kia models in Russia.
Kia Seltos got second consecutive victory in the “Compact SUV” category. Seltos turned to be exceptionally successful at any market it was introduced, ranking second in 2020 Kia’s lineup global sales. The compact SUV combines sophisticated design, performance and the highest safety level. Seltos offers the widest spec and trim choice within Kia’s Russian lineup, addressing to different type of customers.
Kia Picanto wins the “Urban Car” category for unprecedented six consecutive years. Having proved itself as Kia’s most popular model in many regions of the world, Picanto also became the favorite for customers choosing a sub-compact car in Russia. Thanks to recent update, it made another step ahead of the competition with stylish design, high safety and comfort.
The “Russian Car of the Year Awards” is the largest research project of country’s automotive market. Over 1.5 million people gave their votes from February 1 to June 1 2021. Russian citizens vote online for their favorite cars in various segments – 23 categories were evaluated in 2021 out of all models represented at the Russian market. The independent research company Ipsos provides data analysis.
