Kia entered the market with the Pride compact in 1991. It later launched models, such as the Sportage compact SUV, the Ceed hatchback, and the Morning mini car, it said.

For all of 2018, a total of 2.37 million vehicles were sold in Britain, down 6.8 percent from a year earlier. Kia ranked ninth with sales of 95,764 units. Its corporate cousin, Hyundai Motor Co., ranked 10th with sales of 89,925 units.

Hyundai and its affiliate Kia together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales.

In Europe, Kia sold a total of 494,304 autos in 2018, up 4.7 percent from 472,125 units the previous year. Hyundai's sales rose 3.9 percent to 543,292 from 523,047 during the same period, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. (Yonhap)