Kia Motors America Announces All-Time Best Full-Year Sales And U.S. Market Share For 2012

U.S. Sales Exceed 500,000 Vehicles for First Time in Company History; U.S. Market Share Increases for 18th Consecutive Year

IRVINE, CA-Jan. 3, 2013: Kia Motors America (KMA), which previously announced it had surpassed its best-ever full-year sales total in less than 11 months, today reported all-time record sales in 2012 of 557,599 vehicles, a 14.9-percent increase over the previous best-ever mark set in 2011. As one of the fastest-growing car companies in the U.S. over the last five years[1], December sales of 39,178 units helped to extend KMA's streak of annual market share increases to 18 years.

KMA's sales were led throughout 2012 by the U.S.-built* Optima and that trend continued as the December total of 12,008 units helped the popular midsize sedan become the first Kia nameplate to top 150,000 annual sales. Together with the popular Sorento CUV -- also built at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) -- Kia's U.S.-built* vehicles represented more than 40-percent of last year's record-setting volume.

"2012 was an historic year filled with a number of important achievements for the Kia brand including our 18^th straight annual market share increase, surpassing the 500,000 unit mark for the first time, and the sale of the four millionth Kia vehicle in the U.S.," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and KMMG. "Kia is advancing value to new levels of sophistication by combining world-class automotive design, cutting-edge technologies and premium amenities with affordable pricing, and the brand's maturation process will continue this year with seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles scheduled to arrive in our showrooms over the next 12 months."

	MONTH OF DECEMBER		YEAR-TO-DATE
Model	2012	2011	2012	2011
Rio	2,343	2,155	40,275	20,111
Spectra	-	-	-	-
Forte	4,276	4,730	75,681	76,295
Optima	12,008	10,704	152,399	84,590
Amanti	-	3	-	8
Sportage	1,696	3,617	36,357	47,463
Sorento	10,967	10,663	119,597	130,235
Sedona	711	1,865	17,512	24,047
Rondo	-	2	-	47
Borrego	-	27	-	429
Soul	7,177	9,624	115,778	102,267

Total	39,178	43,390	557,599	485,492

* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX Trims and certain LX Trims only) and GDI Turbo are built in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

[1] Based on 5-year cumulative growth between 12-month retail sales for periods ending November 2007 and November 2012 of all U.S. automotive brands.

SOURCE Kia Motors America