MELBOURNE: KIA may be a smash hit as the major sponsor of the Australian Open tennis tournament currently attracting big crowds in Melbourne, but the brand needs to lift its game Down Under.
Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith admitted his brand has some work to do within one of the world’s most competitive automotive markets.
Mr Meredith recognised Kia still has a “cheap and cheerful” image among many Australians despite the South Korean marque making giant strides in both quality and design over the past five years.
He has made it clear the perception change will not occur via pricing.
“Kia has been on sale in Australia for too long,” Mr Meredith said.
“We have to get that message across to the Australian consumer. The brand at the moment is not in a strong position…all the studies we see and the feedback we get show we have a hell of a lot of work to do.
“My emphasis is on the product and not on the pricing.”
One pivotal change to the brand could be a new naming convention.
Like BMW and Mazda, Kia could change to numerical names – similar to what is already available in South Korea. There, the Rio is known as a K2, while the Cerato is known as a K3.
“I would love Picanto (not available yet in Australia) to be K1, Rio to be K2, Cerato to be K3, Sportage be KV3 and Sorento to be KV5. I’d be the happiest man in the world,” Mr Meredith said.
“I think that would help dramatically with the brand perception of Kia in Australia. I have only been there seven months…and I have presented that to Seoul.
“The best way for the brand to go forward in Australia is a measured and sustained manner.
“We are going to focus on the product and quality communication.”
