Kia Motors overseas sales rise 6.8% in November
Kia Motors overseas sales rise 6.8% in November - 66,331 vehicles sold overseas in October - Sales in Europe and general market, and North America post 47.5%, 31.4% and 3.3% year-on-year growth, respectively, for the first eleven months (SEOUL) December 1, 2005 -- Kia Motors Corporation announced today that its overseas retail sales of passenger cars and light trucks in November 2005 recorded 66,331 units, representing a 6.8% year-on-year increase. From January through November of this year, Kia has seen its overseas retail sales jump to 604,578 units with 667,452 vehicles exported. This represents a 23.9% increase in sales and 13.2% rise in exports over the same period last year. By region, sales in October 2005 grew by 17.6% in Europe and 25.9% in the general market compared to the same time last year. 197,855 vehicles were sold in Europe and 132,286 vehicles were sold in the general market over the last 11 months of 2005 while in North America 274,437 Kia vehicles have been sold year-to-date. Kia¡¯s performance in overseas markets can be attributed to robust sales of the C-segment Cerato (also known as the ¡®Spectra¡¯) with 108,228 units sold so far this year. Other stellar sellers include the Sorento SUV (108,032 units) and A-segment Picanto (107,640 units) as well as the Sportage compact SUV (81,992 units). According to Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation, ¡°The tremendous growth in overseas sales we have experienced so far this year is a testament to the rapidly rising stature of the Kia brand across all global markets. With a total of 13 all-new models and facelifts to be introduced between 2005 and 2010, we expect our recent success to continue well into the future.¡± 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 ( <http://autoway.kia.co.kr/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.kiamotors.com /> 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.