Tag Archives: KIA

News

Britain’s Dealer Happiness Index: Who’s Winning, Who’s Losing, and Who Should Be Worried

If you really want the truth about a car brand, don’t ask the marketing department. Don’t ask the influencers. And definitely don’t ask the guy in the pub who once drove a diesel Passat “that pulled like a train.”

Ask the people who live and die by the product: the franchised dealers.

This year, Britain’s retail networks have spoken—loudly, candidly, and sometimes with a tone that suggests they’d rather be anywhere else. Their collective verdict paints a surprisingly dramatic picture of who’s thriving, who’s stumbling, and who might need to start thinking about pulling the eject handle.

The Big Winners: Lexus Leads, Kia Surges, BYD Impresses

According to the dealer rankings, Lexus, Kia, BYD, Omoda, Suzuki, and BMW top the leaderboard in that exact order. It’s a group that blends dependable luxury (Lexus), relentlessly consistent value (Kia), and China’s fast-moving electric juggernaut (BYD) with newer disruptors like Omoda.

These are the brands whose dealers sleep easier at night. They like the product. They like the margins. They like the customers walking through the door. And, crucially, they like the support they get from HQ.

The Basement Dwellers: DS Hits Rock Bottom

At the sharp end of misery, the worst-performing brands are Alfa Romeo, Fiat, SEAT, Abarth, Citroën, and at the absolute bottom—DS.

Dealer grumbling here covers everything from profit margins to warranties to product perception. The French premium experiment seems to be running out of goodwill. One could imagine Stellantis executives staring at these results and wondering how much longer DS can cling to the UK market.

Margin Madness: Kia, Mercedes, and Toyota Score; Land Rover Stumbles

Profit margins are the lifeblood of a dealer’s survival. According to the survey:

  • Best new-vehicle margins: Kia, Mercedes, Toyota
  • Worst: Audi, Ford, and dead-last Land Rover

Yes, you read that right—Audi dealers, purveyors of high-priced premium metal, say their profits are among the weakest in the country. That’s like a Michelin-star chef complaining the kitchen ran out of salt.

Something’s not adding up behind the four rings.

Product Value: Omoda and Dacia Thrill, Audi and DS Deflate

“Value” is often code for “Customers leave happy and we don’t have to beg them to buy.” Dealers claim:

  • Most satisfied with product value: Omoda, Kia, Dacia
  • Least satisfied: DS, SEAT, Audi

Again, Audi finds itself on the wrong side of dealer sentiment. The brand moves high volumes and commands premium prices, yet retailers insist the value proposition isn’t landing. Whether that’s pricing, equipment, or perceived quality, the frontline feedback is unambiguous.

EV Satisfaction: BYD, Kia, Renault Shine; Nissan Tanks

This may be the most startling result of all.

  • Strongest approval for EV lineup: BYD, Kia, Renault
  • Weakest: SEAT, Nissan, Mazda

Nissan’s inclusion here is perplexing. This is the brand that practically invented the mainstream EV with the Leaf, pioneered affordable electrification, and is gearing up for a new British-built Leaf and Juke. And yet its retailers sound more apprehensive than enthusiastic.

BYD, meanwhile, earns praise not only for its EVs but also for the frequency of its new model introductions. In dealer-speak, that’s code for “We always have something fresh to sell.”

Support Matters: Lexus Dominates, Citroën Falters

Dealers say Lexus is unbeatable in tech support and parts availability—a reputation the brand has quietly cultivated for decades.
At the other end, Citroën sits last, a position no network wants to see next to its name.

Group Patterns: VW Group Chaos, Stellantis Struggles

There’s a pattern emerging that’s difficult to ignore:

  • VW and Skoda: Doing well
  • Audi, Cupra, SEAT: Lagging badly

This internal inconsistency mirrors the chaos of the wider Stellantis empire, where:

  • Jeep, Peugeot, Vauxhall dealers: Generally content
  • Fiat, Citroën, DS, Abarth: Deeply unhappy

For DS and Abarth in particular, the writing on the wall is getting hard to miss. The UK market may simply not be buying the dream.

So What Does This Mean for Buyers?

Behind every score is a signal: how easy a brand is to own, how well-supported its cars are, and how stable the buying experience will be over time.

If you want predictable satisfaction and a well-oiled dealership experience, Lexus, Kia, and BYD look like the safest bets.

If you prefer to avoid frustration, shrinking dealer faith, or slow support networks… well, the bottom of the list makes its own argument.

The dealers have spoken. Now it’s your move.

Source: Auto Express

SOCIAL MEDIA

A TikTok Mechanic Outsmarts a Misdiagnosis—And Saves a Kia Owner Real Money

A San Antonio tech turns a “bad starter” scare into a lesson on why basic diagnostics still matter.

In an era when TikTok often functions as a rolling Cars & Coffee of half-truths and hot takes, one San Antonio mechanic is winning viewers for doing something radical: telling the truth.

Jeff—known online as @jeff_the_mechanic—recently posted a now-viral clip about a woman’s 2016 Kia that was supposedly suffering from a “clicking sound.” Another shop had already pointed to the starter as the culprit, a diagnosis that usually means parts shopping, knuckle-busting labor, and a not-insignificant dent in the checking account.

@jeff_the_mechanic #foryoupage #jeffmechanictv #mobilemechanic #jcsmobilemechanicllc ♬ original sound – Jeff MechanicTv

Jeff wasn’t convinced.

“This is why it’s important to get a mechanic to check out your vehicle before you go and buy parts,” he says in the clip, which has already racked up more than 34,800 views. It’s the kind of common-sense advice that shouldn’t feel revelatory—but here we are.

The Kia Mystery That… Wasn’t

The customer sent Jeff a video of the clicking. And to be fair, the sound could have been a bad starter. Or a dying battery. Or some sad cocktail of weak voltage and bad connections—the kind of thing that keeps roadside technicians employed.

Jeff showed up at her house, meter in hand. The verdict arrived almost immediately: the battery was low. A quick jump, a twist of the key, and the Kia fired right up. No drama, no major surgery.

“It was just a bad battery, that’s it,” he says. Starter: innocent. Wallet: spared.

The AutoZone Angle

Jeff laid out her options. He could swap the battery himself—parts and labor included—or she could head to AutoZone for a potentially cheaper replacement with free on-site installation. Many parts stores offer the service, though it’s not guaranteed if the weather is nasty, the battery is buried under half the engine bay, or the staff is slammed.

Still, a free install is a free install, and the stores will typically test the new battery afterward to confirm it’s fit for duty. Jeff’s point wasn’t about where to buy the part—it was that checking the basics first is the difference between spending $140 and spending $600.

Internet Applause From All Corners

If the comments section is any indication, social media has crowned Jeff the Patron Saint of Honest Wrenching.

“Thank you for being honest,” one woman wrote. “As a single woman, I have a fear of being taken advantage of because I know nothing about cars.”

Another added: “We need a lot of honest mechanics like you.”

A fellow tech chimed in with professional approval: “From one mechanic to another, great job. That’s why God bless us.”

Others just wanted to hire him immediately.

“I need my car checked.”
“How much do you charge for a diagnostic?”
“Are you good with trucks? I have an ’04 Ram.”
“What about a check engine on a 2011 Expedition?”

That’s the thing about honesty in the garage—it scales.

In the end, the Kia wasn’t special. The diagnosis was.
Sometimes the most heroic thing a mechanic can do is tell a customer they don’t need an expensive repair.

Source: @jeff_the_mechanic via TikTok

News

Kia Bets Big on the Future of Mobility with Massive New PBV Hub in Korea

Kia isn’t just dipping its toes into the future of mobility—it’s diving in headfirst with steel-toed boots. The company has officially completed the Hwaseong EVO Plant East, broken ground on EVO Plant West, and laid the foundation for what might be the most ambitious Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) strategy in the global auto industry.

When both sides of this manufacturing tag team are fully online, Kia will command an impressive 250,000-unit annual PBV capacity—enough to make even established commercial-vehicle giants take notice.

A Ceremony Fit for a National Priority

Kia turned its AutoLand Hwaseong complex into a red-carpet moment for Korea’s political and industrial heavyweights. Roughly 200 VIPs showed up—including Korea’s Prime Minister Min-seok Kim and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung—underscoring just how central PBVs have become to Korea’s mobility ambitions.

The government messaging was clear: PBVs, electrification, autonomy, and AI aren’t just trends—they’re the battlegrounds of the next automotive era. And Kia wants home-field advantage.

Two Plants, One Mission: Total PBV Domination

The two-part EVO complex is Kia’s new PBV headquarters—East for the midsize stuff, West for the big bruisers.

  • EVO Plant East:
    • 98,433 square meters
    • 100,000 annual units
    • Dedicated to the PV5 lineup
    • Passenger, Cargo, Chassis Cab, and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle variants
  • EVO Plant West (coming 2027):
    • 136,671 square meters
    • 150,000 annual units
    • Home to future PBV heavyweights, including the PV7

Together, they’ll push out a full spread of modular, electric commercial vehicles designed to slot into anything from urban delivery fleets to specialized mobility services.

A Smart Factory That’s Actually… Smart

Kia is throwing its full tech arsenal at the EVO complex.

The plants will run on the Hyundai–Kia E-FOREST smart-factory platform, which enables real-time quality control and data-driven production tweaks. Smart logistics through autonomous guided vehicles. Low-carbon paint booths. Advanced automation in final assembly. And flexible manufacturing cells capable of building different vehicle types simultaneously.

In short, this isn’t your father’s car factory. It’s cleaner, smarter, quieter, and heavily automated—yet designed to keep humans working more comfortably and efficiently.

The PBV Conversion Center: Kia’s Secret Weapon

Beyond the two major factories, Kia is building a 63,728 square-meter PBV Conversion Center, a customization hotbed that’ll crank out everything from box vans and open-bed trucks to camping rigs based on the PV5—and later, the PV7.

This is clever strategy. In the PBV game, adaptability is king, and Kia wants to supply not just the base vehicles but the entire ecosystem of upfitted solutions. Think of it as OEM-grade customization for fleet operators who don’t want the aftermarket lottery.

Sustainability: More Than a Buzzword

Kia is pairing its PBV push with a major renewable investment: a 50-megawatt solar power facility at AutoLand Hwaseong, part of its RE100 clean-energy commitment. It won’t fully power a complex this large, but it’s a noticeable step toward a self-sustaining industrial footprint.

Why PBVs, and Why Now?

Because the world is finally ready. Urban delivery is exploding, logistics are electrifying, and fleet operators are demanding EV-ready platforms that can be adapted for last-mile delivery, ride-hailing, micro-transit, emergency services—you name it.

Kia President and Global CEO Ho Sung Song says the company sees electrified light commercial vehicles as “a key opportunity” for leadership. Translation: This is where the next wave of mobility profits will come from, and Kia intends to surf at the front.

With massive investment, government backing, and a multi-pronged strategy covering product, manufacturing, services, and distribution, Kia is turning Hwaseong into the Silicon Valley of PBVs.

If the execution matches the ambition, Kia might not just participate in the next era of commercial mobility—it might define it.

Source: Kia