Kia Sephia Becomes Kia Spectra for 2002

    IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 5 For model year 2002, the Kia
Sephia officially becomes the Kia Spectra sedan, a name change designed to
clarify and streamline Kia's model offerings in the United States.
    
 The 2002 Spectra compact sedan will be offered in the same trim levels as
before -- base and LS -- but now will join the sporty Spectra hatchback GS and
GSX models to create a strengthened entry-level compact offering from Kia.
Most notably, the new Spectra compact sedan incorporates exterior styling cues
from the Spectra hatchback adding to the new "family look."
    
 "The name change has been in the works for some time," said B.M. Ahn,
president and CEO of Kia Motors America.  "Changing Sephia to Spectra will
promote a more integrated model line and help us consolidate some of our
marketing efforts."
    
 When Kia made its U.S. launch in 1994 with a single model, the company
simply carried over the Sephia name for the compact sedan, a name that had
been created for, and used in, the Korean market.
    
 "We weren't able to do any substantial market research concerning the
vehicle name when we launched," said Ahn.  "So we went with Sephia but always
knew that at some point it would change, especially because it was so often
mispronounced."
   
  With the debut of the sporty Spectra hatchback last year, Kia had time to
thoroughly research and test the new Spectra name with American consumers.
The name tested well, so with the cosmetic changes that were to make the
hatchback and sedan look even more similar in the 2002 model year, the company
felt the time was right to make the name change official.
    
 In addition to the exterior similarities between hatchback and sedan, the
two vehicles share the same chassis and engine.  The Spectra compact sedan,
like all Kia models, is covered by Kia's comprehensive warranty program, which
includes multiple warranty components as well as a roadside assistance
component.  They include a 10-year or 100,000-mile limited powertrain
warranty, a five-year or 60,000-mile limited basic warranty, a five-year or
100,000-mile anti-perforation warranty and a five-year/unlimited mileage
roadside assistance plan.
    
 With these three warranty components, the coverage ends when either the
yearly or total-mileage figure is reached.  Previously, Kia offered the
industry-standard three-year or 36,000-mile limited basic warranty, a
five-year or 60,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and three-year or
36,000-mile roadside assistance coverage.
    
 Kia Motors America is the U.S. sales, marketing and service arm of Kia
Motors Corp., in Seoul, South Korea.