04/06/2010

Up to Derbyshire for Kia. Not just me this time, although I've seen their sales busier; but although the slow-down has affected them too, their current position as both price-range and something interesting is a healthy place to be.

An interesting feature of this sale for them is the older profile of some of the stock. Because of the runaway success of the scrappage scheme for them, production that would have gone to the rental market was diverted to service the growth in retail sales. That was fine then, but it means a real shortage of late-plate stock now, stock that would normally keep the pump primed. As chance would have it though, dealers would rather pick up some cars that were a bit cheaper and easier to live with for a few extra weeks than anything top-of-the-money - so Kia's luck is holding.

Prices were a little softer for Procee'd, the 3 door variant, but there were only 09 versions available. The slightly older examples, even of cars like Carens that had been falling behind a little, were doing fine. It helped that there were only 80 cars in the sale and next month's may not happen, so it was now or never.

Having said that the 4x4 splurge seemed to have finished, Sorento and Sportage both looked strong enough so maybe there's still some life left in that.

This year seems to be one of unending delays, like the M25 on a Friday afternoon - first the snow, then the election, then a volcano, now a fine-weather Bank Holday week, next the world cup and possibly a sunny summer ... it's been said before, but as one dealer put it to me last week: at this rate it'll be March before it's Christmas.