Rocklin gets Kia-razy

Granite Drive's newest big-ticket attraction is now open for business.Rocklin Kia celebrated its opening with a reception and ribbon cutting Thursday, where Rocklin officials and community members gathered to welcome the new car dealership which occupies a 15,000 square foot lot on Granite Drive.Kia Rocklin is owned by Kit and Lisa Kinne in partnership with the Lasher group. The Lasher group also owns Dodge, Acura, Volkswagon, Isuzu, Audi, Chevy, Buick and Pontiac dealerships throughout the Greater Sacramento Area."Rocklin is the place for us because it's a growing community. It's beautiful here and everything is first class," Kit Kinne said. "We're thrilled to be a part of it."Kia is a Korean manufactured car. It first came to America in the early 1990s and has spent the past 10 years building its reputation in quality. And while that reputation started on a poor note in the 1990s, Kia has quickly become a strong competitor with other foreign automobiles."Our cars range from about $12,000 to $28,000 depending on options," Lisa Kinne said.According to assistant sales manager Keith Edwards, Kia's best selling car is the Spectra, an economy sedan that starts around $13,000.Edwards said the most popular of Kia's line is the Sorento, a mid-size sports utility vehicle starting at just under $20,000."Our mini-van, the Sedona, is getting popular too," Edwards said. Rocklin Mayor Brett Storey was impressed by the new car dealership."This is another great business in Rocklin," Storey said. "We have a number of car dealerships here (on Granite Drive) and this fits right in with the mix."Rocklin Kia has already made its presence in Rocklin felt, as they pledged a large sponsorship to Hot Chili & Cool Cars and Artrageous last week."We love the fact that Rocklin is a small, tight community," Lisa Kinne said. "We love the fact that when there's an event, everybody knows about it and goes to it. We definitely want to be a part of that."As for opening a new store in Rocklin, Lasher group owner Mark Lasher is excited."It's Kia-Razy," he said, laughing.Keith Reid can be reached at keithr@goldcountrymedia.com.