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Kia Motors America Announces Record October Sales


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IRVINE, CA - November 2, 2010: Following the recently completed best sales quarter in company history, Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced sales of 31,199 vehicles in October, a 38.7-percent increase over the same period last year and an all-time sales record for the month of October. KMA's year-to-date sales are up 14.6 percent over 2009, and the company is well positioned to achieve its 16th consecutive year of market share growth. The October sales record is KMA's third in the past four months, and seventh overall in 2010.

KMA's sales were led for the tenth consecutive month by the 2011 Sorento, whose sales of 10,609 units helped the CUV surpass the 85,000 unit mark. Together, the vehicles resulting from Kia's design-led transformation - the 2010 Soul, Forte and Forte Koup; and the 2011 Sorento and Sportage accounted for 80.4 percent of the monthly sales volume.

"KMA has achieved new quarterly sales records in each of the first three quarters this year, and the strong start to the fourth quarter is an indicator that our brand's tremendous momentum and growth will continue through the end of the year," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG). "Demand for Kia's first U.S.-built(1)vehicle, the Sorento CUV, remains extremely high, while the popularity of the all-new 2011 Sportage has outpaced supply since arriving in dealerships a few months ago, and the upcoming arrivals of the highly anticipated all-new 2011 Optima and sporty 2011 Forte 5-door will further our ongoing brand transformation."


MONTH OF OCTOBER

YEAR-TO-DATE

Model

2010

2009

2010

2009






Rio

1,818

4,005

22,709

27,238

Spectra

3

266

268

46,960

Forte

5,754

4,984

57,482

17,381

Optima

1,630

3,075

22,852

33,905

Amanti

11

51

251

3,607

Sportage

108

1,146

11,674

40,042

MY'11 Sportage

2,569

n/a

7,790

n/a

Sorento

2

1,154

778

19,667

MY'11 Sorento

10,609

n/a

88,783

n/a

Sedona

1,655

1,013

18,872

24,730

Rondo

68

814

3,455

12,545

Borrego

835

3,919

9,148

8,685

Soul

6,137

2,063

55,161

26,300






Total

31,199

22,490

299,223

261,060








(1) The 2011 Sorento is assembled at the Kia U.S. plant (Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc.) with U.S. and globally sourced parts.