It was a hot summer at Kia dealers in Northeast Ohio

During the first half of this year, Ohio Kia dealers were happy!

Over the past three months, they’ve become ecstatic.

During the first half of the year, Kia was already the hottest brand in and around Cleveland, figures from the Greater Cleveland Auto Dealers Association show.

Then, during the three months that ended Sept. 30, Kia sales accelerated, climbing 83 percent compared with the same three months last year!

The dealers association covers a 19-county region that includes most of Northeast Ohio, ranging from Erie County in the west to Richland County in the south and to the Pennsylvania border in the east.

The summer quarter is typically the weakest for automakers and dealers.

The October-through-December quarter tends to be one of the strongest, with new model releases and year-end sales.

“I expect the success of the brand to grow,” Foulks said. “There’s new product coming out, and the cars just seem to be getting better.”

While Kia was the most successful brand in the area during the summer, others also performed well.

Mazda, a brand controlled by Ford Motor Co., was up 41 percent in the quarter. So far this year, Mazda sales are up nearly 33 percent. It was a bright spot for Ford as the company’s main brand fell 10 percent.

General Motors Corp. suffered the most in the region. Chevrolet, Cadillac, Pontiac, Hummer and Buick all fell sharply during the quarter. Buick performed the worst, with a 27 percent sales drop. [Source: Cleveland.com]