Kia salesperson Kim Su-gon achieves 'Grand Master' status with 4,000 cumulative sales

Kia announced Wednesday that Kim Su-gon, a senior auto consultant at its Ulsan Jungang branch in South Gyeongsang Province, has achieved 4,000 cumulative vehicle sales and been named a "Grand Master."

The Grand Master designation is an honor Kia bestows on auto consultants who reach 4,000 cumulative sales. The company presented Kim with a trophy and a vehicle as part of the award.

Kim joined Kia in 1997 and has averaged 137 vehicles sold per year over 29 years. He reached the 4,000-unit milestone on June 1, becoming the 38th Grand Master in the company's history.

"This is the result of the precious support of every customer I have met along the way," Kim said. "Going forward, I will never lose my original spirit and will repay my customers with the best service."

Kia operates several incentive programs — including a long-term sales honor award system and the Kia Star Awards — to boost the pride of its auto consultants and encourage healthy sales competition.

Under the long-term sales honor award system, Kia grants titles to consultants based on cumulative sales: "Star" at 2,000 units, "Master" at 3,000, "Grand Master" at 4,000, and "Great Master" at 5,000.

Meanwhile, Kia sold more than 1.63 million vehicles in global markets in the first half of this year, setting a record for the best first-half performance in the company's history.

Electric vehicle sales also hit an all-time high. Kia sold 72,078 electric vehicles in South Korea from January through June, its best first-half domestic EV result on record — a 151.1 percent increase from 28,706 units sold in the same period last year.