Cerato still earning top marks
Kia’s rise as a global brand in the annual listings compiled by Interbrand is notwworthy.
It has climbed five places in the top 100 and now sits in 69th position, 11 places ahead of Harley-Davidson.
Down here on the fringes of global automotive activity, Kia is also doing well. Last year, it only needed nine months to overtake its total 2015 sales result.
So what have been the contributing factors? I reckon it’s good products like this Cerato Limited, propelled to the top of our minds by well-targeted media campaigns that make the most of Kia NZ’s comparatively meagre marketing resources.
Price has featured fairly significantly in these campaigns, which mostly call consumers to action through traditional points of engagement like print media and television. This ‘keep it simple’ approach is obviously paying off, but would only work if the product stacked up.
Which I’m happy to report that the Cerato patently does. Like Hyundai’s i30, the Cerato is a well-made Korean Corolla competitor sharing the same componentry, platform, and development. The differences are found in its more accessible visual appeal that is now a Kia brand value, and a willingness to foster perceptions of offering more fruit for your pfennigs.
The newly-upgraded Cerato range is a fine example of the latter. When it first arrived back in August 2016, the entry point was $31,990 for the base LX, which offered goodies like a seven-inch touch screen with a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, smart key, Android Automotive connectivity and active and passive safety features.
The $39,990 LTD has an impressive kit bag - powered leather-clad heated seats, extra safety features like lane departure warnings, forward collision warnings, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert, and a sunroof large enough to lighten the cabin even during the darkest days. With the upgrade all Ceratos now share the same powertrain, with a 2.0 litre port-injection four developing 112kW and 192Nm and driving the front wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.
-Paul Owen