All-new Kia Sorento awarded 5-Star Euro NCAP rating

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CONTACT: Michael Choo (  mjc@kia.co.kr),
International Communications Manager, Kia Motors Corporation, Tel:
+82-2-3464-5663

All-new Kia Sorento awarded 5-Star Euro NCAP rating 

-          All-new Sorento among the safest SUVs on the global market

-          Acknowledgement of Kia's world-class standards in safety and
passenger protection

 

(Seoul) August 26, 2009 -- The all-new Kia Sorento 'Highline Cruiser' SUV
has been awarded a 5-Star safety rating (the maximum score) in the latest
Euro NCAP crash test results published today.  The Sorento's safety ratings*
- with scores of 87% for Adult Occupant Protection, 84% for Child Protection
and 71% for Safety Assist equipment - place the Kia among the safest
mid-sized SUV cars. 

 

"The latest Euro NCAP result is another landmark achievement for Kia.  This
is our third 5-Star Euro NCAP rating for a new model," commented Mr. Benny
Oeyen, Marketing Director, Kia Motors Europe. "It is a superb follow-up to
the ratings achieved by the Kia cee'd in 2007** and the Kia Soul earlier
this year.  New Sorento was designed and engineered to meet or surpass the
expectations of European, North American and global consumers in every
respect - including safety." 

 

"Safety engineers at Kia's world-class Namyang R&D facility in Korea
developed the new Sorento SUV to provide the highest levels of occupant
protection in real-world accident scenarios.  Our engineers predicted that
Sorento would achieve a 5-Star rating in both Euro NCAP and the very
different NHTSA tests in the USA.  Now, this Euro NCAP result confirms the
major advances made by Kia with its latest SUV," added Mr. Oeyen. 

 

"The combination of this all-new model's many talents, with seating for five
or up to seven occupants, plus the 5-Star safety rating will make the
Sorento even more attractive to consumers, offering real peace-of-mind,"
concluded Oeyen. 

 

Every Sorento model supplied in Western Europe features an Electronic
Stability Programme (ESP) as standard.  Sorento buyers in other European
markets can specify ESP as a factory-fitted option.  This system comes
together with TCS (Traction Control System) and BAS (Brake Assistance
System).  

 

If a collision is unavoidable, all-new Kia Sorento is engineered to
safeguard the occupants with a range of 'passive safety' measures as
standard - starting with its all-new, all-steel monocoque bodyshell.
Featuring high-tensile strength steel in key areas, the bodyshell is
designed to offer occupants good protection in front, side, rear and
roll-over accidents. 

 

Every Sorento sold in Europe is equipped as standard with dual front
airbags, front side and full-length curtain airbags (to protect the
occupants in all three seat rows), height-adjustable front seatbelts with
pretensioners and belt load-limiters, plus three 3-point seat belts for all
middle row and back row seat occupants.  In addition, all Sorento models can
be ordered with 'active' front seat head restraints to protect against
whiplash injuries.

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Editor's notes:  

*The full Euro NCAP test results for all-new Kia Sorento are: 

Adult Occupant Protection             87%  (31.184 points of max possible
36) 

Child Protection                               84%  (41.0 points of max
possible 49) 

Pedestrian Protection                     44%  (15.9 points of max possible
36) 

Safety Assist                                     71%  (5.0 points of max
possible 7)

 

**Euro NCAP 

The Kia cee'd earned a 5-Star rating under the previous Euro NCAP testing
regime in 2007 - the first Korean brand vehicle to achieve this top safety
rating.  Starting in January 2009, Euro NCAP revised its testing strategy to
encompass four main zones of interest - Adult Occupant Protection, Child
Protection, Pedestrian Protection and Safety Assist - which contribute 50%,
20%, 20% and 10% to a single overall rating, expressed as a star rating.
Ratings achieved under the old regime are not comparable with those achieved
under the new scheme. 

 

All-new Sorento crash footage and related materials available at The
NewsMarket (www.thenewsmarket.com/kiamotors).  Get broadcast-standard or
streaming-quality video (for Web use) and print-quality stills.  Delivery
options include digital FTP transfer and streaming download in a variety of
file types including Flash, MPEG-2, QuickTime and Windows Media.
Registration and content is free to the media.

 

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 <http://www.thenewsmarket.com/kiamotors> Kia Motors Corporation
(www.kia.com) -- a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart -- 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. Nearly 1.5 million vehicles a year are
produced in 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries
which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and
dealers covering 172 countries. Kia today has over 40,000 employees
worldwide and annual revenues of over US$14.5 billion. It is the major
sponsor of the Australian Open and an official automotive partner of FIFA --
the governing body of the FIFA World Cup -- as well as a EUROTOP partner of
UEFA. Kia Motors Corporation's brand slogan -- "The Power to Surprise" --
represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer
expectations through continuous automotive innovation. 

 <http://www.kia.com)> 

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