Kia Motors overseas sales rise 27.3% in July

-	Overseas sales continue to be above 70,000 mark with 73,215 units sold
-	Sales in Europe and general market post 59.5% and 37.6% year-on-year growth, respectively, for the first seven months

(SEOUL) August 1, 2005 - Kia Motors Corporation announced today that its overseas retail sales of passenger cars and light trucks in July 2005 recorded 73,215 units, representing a 27.3% year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, exports for the July increased to 75,041 units, marking a 44.8% rise over the same month from last year.
Through January through July of this year, Kia has seen its overseas retail sales jump to 476,406 units with 528,166 vehicles exported. This represents a year-on-year increase of 29.6% in sales and 29.8% in exports.
By region, sales in July 2005 grew by 45.5% in Europe, 35.2% in the general market, and 10.2% in North America compared to the same time last year. 
Kia¡¯s performance in overseas markets can be attributed to strong sales of the recently introduced new Sportage SUV as well as continued robust sales of the C-segment Cerato (also known as the ¡®Spectra¡¯), Sorento SUV, and A-segment Picanto. The Carnival (also known as ¡®Sedona¡¯) minivan has also seen a steady increase in sales, particularly due to its award-winning safety features, in North America.
According to Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation, ¡°Sales performance through the first seven months of this year show that we are well on target to meet our annual goal, particularly with impressive sales of the Picanto, Cerato, and Sportage. With the introduction of the all-new Rio, new Carnival as well as the new Magentis (also known as ¡®Optima¡¯), I am very confident that we will be able to maintain our growing sales momentum during the second half of 2005.¡±

Editor¡¯s notes: 
1) Figures do not include KD (knock down) exports, which are assembled at overseas plants. 
2) General market¡± includes the regions of Central & South America, Asia & Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.


Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com <http://autoway.kia.co.kr/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.kiamotors.com/> ) - one of the fastest growing automakers 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 12 countries produce more than 1.1 million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 155 countries. Kia today has over 32,000 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. Kia Motors Corporation¡¯s brand slogan -- ¡°The Power to Surprise¡± -- represents the company¡¯s global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.