It's no secret that Kia as a brand suffered in 2013 with sales down 4 percent while the industry was up 8 percent but 2014 should be a different year, especially because the supply of Kia Fortes is going to increase.
According to an Automotive News article, "Kia dealers will see vehicle availability and marketing funds increase in 2014 as the brand seeks to reverse its first annual U.S. sales decline since 2008." The Kia Forte is one of the targeted vehicles.
The article added, "about 23,000 units of additional production will be available for the U.S. market in 2014." I'm not quite sure how that helps Kia grow but it should keep it on par with 2012 sales, which just happened to be 24,000 more vehicles than 2013.
But that's neither here nor there. The big news is more Kia Fortes coming down the pike. The Automotive News article said, "The Kia Forte compact and Sportage small crossover will see availability grow, dealers said after the make meeting. Forte supplies, for example, were interrupted last spring during the vehicle's 2014 model year changeover." The comments came from the annual NADA meeting in January.
The Forte was one of the downers in last year's sales number but only because it was introduced during the model year. Customers held off buying it waiting for the 2014 Kia Forte, which is a great sedan.
The sales improvements continue. Kia Forte sales have been up the last couple months over the previous year. Though off to a slow start, the commitment to increased production and marketing will make the Kia Forte a sure-fire winner in 2014, which is at it should be.