Kia Motors posts 1.1% rise in overseas sales in June
Kia Motors posts 1.1% rise in overseas sales in June - 80,926 Kia vehicles sold overseas in June - Sales in Europe, North America and general market post 4.0%, 2.3% and -5.7% year-on-year growth, respectively, in June (SEOUL) July 3, 2006 -- Kia Motors Corporation announced today that its overseas retail sales of passenger cars and light trucks in June 2006 recorded 80,926 units, representing an 1.1% year-on-year increase. By region, Europe posted year-on-year sales growth of 4.0% in June with 33,416 units sold. Meanwhile, sales of Kia vehicles in North America and the general market recorded 30,470 units (2.3% year-on-year increase) and 17,040 (5.7% year-on-year decrease), respectively. Cumulatively through the first six months of 2006, Kia's overseas sales have risen by 5.1% year-on-year to reach 423,832 units, with Europe showing the largest gain at 8.6%. Meanwhile, North America and the general market have seen sales increase by 3.0% and 2.8%, respectively, through the first half of this year. So far in 2006, Kia's best selling model in export markets has been the C-segment Cerato (also known as 'Spectra' in some markets) with 66,816 units sold. Meanwhile, the popular Sorento mid-size SUV was close behind with 63,311 units sold. Other strong sellers so far in 2006 have been the A-segment Picanto (62,756 units), B-segment Rio (51,839 units) and Sportage compact SUV (51,501 units). Jung-Moon Park, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of Kia Motors Corporation, said, "The relatively stagnant overall sales growth of Kia vehicles in overseas markets in June can be attributed to a reduction in consumer demand for SUVs due to continued high oil prices and to the trend of strengthening incentives on the part of our major competitors in an attempt to deplete inventory of older models." "Nevertheless, we remain very optimistic about the second half of the year, as our six new vehicles to be introduced in 2006, including all-new models and upgrades, have yet to reach our dealer showrooms worldwide," he added. Notes 1) Figures do not include domestic sales and KD (knock down) exports assembled at overseas plants including China. 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 or www.kia.com <http://www.kia.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 12 manufacturing and assembly operations in 7 countries produce more than 1.1 million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 160 countries. Kia today has over 32,500 employees and annual revenues of almost $16 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis Cup. From 2007 to 2014, Kia will be an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World 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.