Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, July 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The official distributor of KIA cars in Ukraine, Falcon Auto, part of the UkrAuto Corporation, forecasts that the KIA cars' share of the Ukrainian market in 2009 will grow to 6% (in 2008 it was 4%), Falcon Auto Director General Vakhtanh Vasadze said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"The situation on the Ukrainian car market is difficult now. We believe that the market, which has plunged, has stabilized now. I think that this year [we will sell] some 156,000 cars and we plan to occupy up to 6% of the market," he said.

Among the factors supporting the realization of the distributor's plans to increase market share are a wide model range, high quality, competitive prices and favorable car crediting proposed by the corporation's partners – VTB Bank and Astra Bank.

Vasadze said that at present Falcon Auto's dealer chain consists of 61 car centers in all regional centers and many towns of Ukraine. Half of them are UkrAuto centers, and the rest of them are centers of other dealers.

Vasadze told Interfax-Ukraine that among the other dealers are ones that were part of the former distributor – KIA Motors Ukraine, part of the Bogdan Corporation.

He said that Falcon Auto, which has been the official distributor of KIA cars since April 2009, took on commitments made to clients of the previous chain.

He also said that among the competitive advantages of KIA cars on the market are a seven-year service period for all cars sold in the company's dealer chain, and for most models the warranty kilometer range is 150,000 kilometers.

He also said that at present, the KIA model range includes five models – new the Cerato, Magentis, Rio and Sportage. In the near future the company plans to bring several new models to the market, including the Soul, Cerato Koup, Mohave and the new Sorento.