2005 NAIAS: Kia releases images of its "Mesa" futuristic concept SUV

World premiere of new California-designed large-sized SUV scheduled for North American International Auto Show in January

SEOUL January 6, 2005; Kia Motors today released the first images of the KCD-II, also known as the "Mesa." The new, rugged looking sport utility vehicle (SUV) is scheduled to be unveiled next week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, USA.

The Mesa, which represents a market segment not currently addressed by Kia in the U.S., encapsulates Kia's vision of an "exciting and enabling" new SUV and has been specifically designed with the requirements of the North American market in mind.

Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors, Mr. Yong-Hwan Kim, said: "The Mesa exemplifies the future of the SUV market and is a good glimpse into the dynamic exterior designs to come from Kia Motors.

"The highly user friendly interior design of the Mesa leans toward spare shapes and thoughtful ergonomics, while the strong exterior portrays the exciting and enabling qualities of vehicles that our expanding customer base has come to expect," said Mr. Kim.

The Mesa is the second Kia concept vehicle to be developed by the Kia California Design Center in Irvine, California, USA. The new vehicle is a modern, rugged body-on-frame SUV that features three rows of seats, dual full-length sunroofs and an expansive 116-inch wheelbase.

The Mesa is also filled with numerous interior features such as a rear passenger entertainment system with DVD player and 9-inch LCD monitor, a high-end low profile speaker sound system in the headliner that replaces the door speakers, and a full-length skylight-style sunroof.

Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com) -- the fastest growing automaker in the world -- was founded in 1944 and is Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world's premier automotive brands. Kia's 16 manufacturing and assembly operations in 13 countries produce more than 1.1 million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 190 countries. Kia today has 30,000 employees and annual revenues of $14 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis Cup.