ALL-NEW SPORTAGE SUV MAKES WORLD PREMIERE

• World premiere for all-new Kia Sportage small SUV at Paris Show
• Combines SUV, Passenger Car and Wagon customer benefits
• Diesel engine available with Automatic transmission
• Multiple-choice of engines, transmissions, drivetrains and trim levels
• Image enhancing ´Monotone´ finish and ´Premium Pack´ interior

Kia Motors Europe Headquarters, Eschborn, Germany - 23 September 2004

The all-new Kia Sportage SUV, which makes its world premiere at the Mondial de L´Automobile in Paris today (Thursday), is designed to offer customers the best benefits of three different vehicle types - in one high-quality, stylish package.

The smooth ride, agile handling and overall refinement of a Passenger Car… the exterior style, high driving position, easy access and all-wheel grip of an SUV… the load carrying ability and seating versatility of a Wagon… are all combined to create the uniquely attractive new Kia.
Although Kia retained the old name, New Sportage is a very different kind of vehicle. A model which will clearly outperform its class rivals and aspires to match the best products from famous European brands.

Compared to Kia´s earlier rugged SUV, the all-new Sportage is created to meet a radically different design concept. It is sporty and elegant, spacious and adaptable, with an attractive appearance inside and out, an internally carried spare wheel and an easy-to-open top-hinged tailgate (with flip-up window), plus sleeker aerodynamics for quiet, refined, high speed cruising.

Unlike Kia´s earlier SUV, New Sportage is a multi-choice vehicle. It offers customers three engines, two drivetrains, two transmissions, two equipment levels and a wide range of premium options. It also offers the ´diesel engine plus automatic´ combination that is so popular with European buyers, but rarely available on a small SUV.
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Sporty & Elegant with Montone finish and Premium interior
Customers will be able to enhance the sporty elegance of their Sportage by choosing the ´Monotone´ exterior finish - with all external components painted in body colour. They will also be able to opt for Kia´s best-ever ´Premium Package´ interior. Specially developed for New Sportage, this interior features top quality, orange-brown leather upholstery and trim, with brushed aluminium and chrome metal detailing, to contrast strikingly with the black trim panels and deep-pile carpets.

Spacious and Versatile interior, with ´FlatFold´ seats
Longer (4350 mm), wider (1800 mm) and higher (1695 mm) than the average small SUV, the new five-seater Sportage offers customers much of the technical sophistication and stylish looks of the popular Kia Sorento, but in a smaller package. The generous dimensions and long wheelbase (2630 mm) boost both passenger and luggage space for ´best-in-class´ headroom, legroom and cargo space.

The unique rear seat design has a new ´FlatFold´ system which lowers the cushion into the rear foot well and ensures the backrest folds down to create a spacious, square-sided, flat-floor cargo area. This operation can be carried out without removing the rear head restraints. With the rear seat folded, the length of the load area extends to 1635 mm and longer items can be accommodated by folding the front passenger seat backrest.

Three engine choices for Maximum Appeal
Kia´s new entry into the small SUV segment offers customers a broad range of engine technology to suit the most varied of lifestyles. The most popular Sportage engine choice is expected to be the modern, 2-litre CRDi turbocharged diesel, which generates 112 ps at 4,000 rpm and torque of 245.2 Nm between 1,800 and 2,500 rpm. For customers who prefer gasoline, the 2-litre, 142 ps engine comes with continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) and the compact 2.7-litre, 175 ps V6 powers the fastest model to 100 kph in just over 10 seconds.

2WD, 4WD drivetrains & Running Gear
The Sportage can be ordered with front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, depending on model. The full-time four-wheel drive system senses when one or both front wheels lose grip and
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automatically diverts up to 50% of engine power to the rear wheels. If necessary, the driver can engage 4WD at low speeds, dividing power evenly, 50%-50% to the front and rear wheels.

Sportage is fitted with fully independent suspension systems, front and rear, designed to deliver responsive on-road handling and a supple, comfortable ride on European roads, while retaining long-wheel-travel and a genuine talent to also perform with real ability off-road. Every Sportage comes with 16 inch alloy wheels, fitted with 215/65 R16 tyres. The all-disc braking system has anti-lock ABS with EBD as standard.

Primary & Secondary Safety
Kia engineers created a bodyshell with four structural rings - at the A, B, C and D pillars - to protect the occupant safety zone. Kia´s internal testing anticipates a 4-Star rating in crash safety tests. The Sportage is equipped with an ´intelligent´ airbag system which gauges the severity of an impact and Side airbags, Curtain airbags, Traction Control and an Electronic Stability Program are available.

Future sales assured
Created to give Kia a bold new challenger in the small SUV segment, the Sportage will play a major role in the brand´s continued rapid growth in Europe and all around the globe. The New Sportage is sure to be an instant sales success when it goes on sale in Europe next month. In Korea, customer orders in the first 10 days reached 15,000 units and in Europe the SUV market is set to grow to 1 million by 2008, with 35% accounted for by the small SUV segment.

Editors´notes

New Kia Sportage
Prices and final equipment specifications for the Sportage will be revealed country by country, nearer to their local ´on sale´ date.

Three World Premieres
Kia Motors is revealing three ´World Premiere´ models in Paris - the all-new Kia Sportage small SUV, the Kia Sport Concept Car and the Kia Sportage FCEV, fuel cell electric vehicle.

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