The Kia Booth at SEMA: The Coming of Age for Kia

If you haven’t been paying attention to Kia, you should. Kia is one of only a few car companies who’s sales has either stayed flat, or have actually improved during these tough economic times. The product is becoming more desirable, rather than just acceptable as it has been in the past. Along with better product, Kia – along with its parent Hyundai – offer a generous warranty, and increasing residual values so that they are on par with most of the domestic car makers. They have successfully shed the “junk” image that they were saddles with when they first came into the country. Their booth at SEMA reflects each of these achievements.

A the center of the booth stands a Kia Forte Koup, turned into a race car for the KONI Sports Car Challenge Series. They will be campaigning two cars in the Street Tuner class. The one interesting aspect about this series of racing is the fact that the cars are based off actual production cars, unlike NASCAR. Its a very tidy looking car, and should compete well because of additional sponsorship from Kinetic Group, and Infinity Audio.

In back of the race car is a trio of Kia Souls, which is arguably one of the most successful Kia models introduced. All were tastefully modified for the show, one with a compelling matte black and silver finish. To round out the display, a Forte Sedan, with a black roof panel, was on display. During my time at the booth, I notice a lot of people hanging around the vehicles, especially near the Forte Racer.