Another Auto Milestone for Fraser River Port



The Port Authority's Vice President of Business Development, Ed Kargl, offers commemorative Inukshuk.


September 22, 2003: The booming auto shipments traffic through the Fraser River Port Authority reached another milestone today with the delivery of the 100,000th Kia vehicle from South Korea.

Already the third busiest port for auto shipments in North America, the Fraser River Port’s two facilities have been operating at a record pace in recent years.

Local MLA Reni Masi was one of several dignitaries who joined at the Annacis Auto Terminals facility for a special dock-side ceremony to praise Kia’s remarkable acceleration onto the Canadian scene. Masi noted that it had taken Kia Canada only four years to reach the 100,000-vehicle mark and dealers across Canada are wanting more and more of the product.

Fraser River Port Authority’s Vice President of Business Development, Ed Kargl, praised Kia Canada’s Executive Vice President Bill Porter for the company’s rapid rise on the Canadian automotive scene. Kia plans to become one of the world’s Top 5 vehicle manufacturers by 2010 and is currently ranked seventh.

Kargl presented Porter with an Inukshuk, which he said has come to symbolize the strong working relationship between Kia and the port.

Delta Mayor Lois Jackson was not able to attend the ceremony because of the Union of BC Municipalities conference, but Kargl read her remarks and passed on her congratulations.  “It is obvious that the team work and solid business acumen has produced exemplary results for Kia and its staff. What a wonderful accomplishment,” the Mayor said.

Flanked by a 2004 Sorento vehicle – the 100,000th Kia to land in Canada – Kia Canada’s Porter said the company’s dealer network now stretched from Vancouver Island to St. John’s Newfoundland and would soon have a twentieth model (an Amanti luxury sedan) to add to the stable.

Kia came to Canada in 1999 and sold 1,417 vehicles in its first four months. Sales jumped to 13,343 units in 2000 (the first full year), doubled to over 26,000 in 2001, and reached 29,000 in 2002. Sales this year are expected to top 30,000 and achieve the 100,000th vehicle sold before year end.

The Fraser River Port Authority is Canada’s busiest river port and typically ships over 30 million tonnes of domestic and export goods. It has been running at a record pace for automobile shipments and container traffic so far in 2003.