As expected, Kia Motors America recently announced that the Kia Forte Koup is getting the axe. The production of the two-door version of the face-lifted 2017 Forte compact sedan will be discontinued. Apparently, the decision was made because of the car's weak sales.
Kia Forte Koup Gets The Axe
The axing of the Kia Forte Koup comes at a time when consumer demands for small cars are weakening. This car is only one of the few among a handful of models produced by other carmakers. It caters to car buyers who are after a sportier alternative to the compact budget-priced cars costing approximately $20,000.
Honda Civic Coupe Is The Only One Left Standing
Reports say that the only one left in this C category is the Honda Civic Coupe, made by Honda Motors Co. The decision to axe the Kia Forte Coup was confirmed by KMA in an official company statement. In the announcement, KMA said that they will discontinue the two-door Koup after selling the remaining stocks of its 2016 model year inventory.
Kia Would Like To Align With Its Customers' Buying Trends
The South Korean carmaker also indicated that they have arrived at this decision because they would like to maintain their leadership and competitiveness in the compact car segment. But they also admitted that the Kia Forte Koup is getting the axe because they would like to align with their customers' purchasing trends.
This is a veiled way of admitting that it is because of weak sales that KMA is discontinuing the production of the Kia Forte Koup. James Hope, Kia spokesperson, has also confirmed that this two-door coup is getting the axe. It is unclear how many units of this car are still in American car dealer lots.
What's The Reason For The Drop In Sales?
Industry analysts believe that the rising popularity of crossover SUVs coupled with the drop in gasoline prices have triggered the weakening in the demand for coupes like the Kia Forte Koup. As have already been mentioned, only the Honda Civic coupe remains standing among the lot. But Hope has still high hopes for Kia's compact Forte model line. He claimed that sales of this model line increased in 2016 and persisted through the first quarter of 2017.
