ALL TIME HIGH RECORD SALES FOR KIA

• Kia´s monthly sales in Europe exceed 20,000 for the first time
• More than 8,000 Picanto small cars delivered in September

Kia Motors Europe Headquarters, Eschborn, Germany - 1 October 2004

Kia achieved all-time high record sales in Europe during the month of September, with a total of 20,048 cars delivered to customers across the region. It is the first time that Kia´s monthly sales have exceed 20,000 units and represent a 59% rise over sales in September 2003.

September´s record results push Kia´s year-to-date accumulated sales to 125,544, more than 32% higher than sales in the same period last year, maintaining Kia´s position as Europe´s fastest growing automotive brand.

The all-new Picanto small car is proving immensely popular with the media and the motoring public. Positive media test reports are helping to attract ever-increasing numbers of customers to Kia showrooms. In September 8,062 Picantos were delivered, bringing Picanto sales since the A-Segment model´s launch just five months ago, to over 28,300 units.

"Our newest Kia products, the Picanto and Cerato, are designed and engineered to appeal to European motorists - and they are doing exactly that," enthused Jean Charles Lievens, Vice President Kia Motors Europe. "This latest sales record is a great endorsement of our products and the marketing endeavours of our expanding dealer network.

"Our new Sportage SUV is already making a big impression on visitors to the Paris Motor Show. Sporty and elegant, spacious and adaptable, with ´best-in-class´ accommodation in a stylish package, Sportage will surprise and delight potential customers when it arrives at Kia dealerships in just six weeks. This newcomer expands our model range and enhances our brand impact, and with Cerato available in greater numbers, our 2004 target of 180,000 sales, 49% up on last year, is firmly in our sights," concluded Lievens.

Editors Notes

Kia Motors Europe
Kia Motors Europe is the European sales, marketing, and service arm of Kia Motors Corporation. With its headquarters in Eschborn, Germany, it covers 20 markets in Europe. The European sales target is 300,000 units per year by 2005, thanks to new European products and new diesel engines.

About Kia Motors Corporation
Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com), which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2004, is among the world´s fastest growing automobile companies. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to be a ´Top 5´ global automaker by 2010. Kia´s 15 manufacturing and assembly operations in 12 countries make more than one million vehicles each year. These vehicles are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 190 countries.

Founded in 1944, Kia Motors Corporation is Korea´s oldest manufacturer of automobiles. Kia today has 30,000 employees and annual revenues of US$ 12 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and the international sponsor of the Davis Cup.

Press Contact:

Kia Motors Europe GmbH
Hauptstrasse 185, 65760 Eschborn, Germany.
Tel.: +49 (6196) 509 2132 / Fax.: +49 (6196) 509 2100