SORENTO IS ´BEST´ FOR PRATICALITY, COMFORT, EASE-OF-DRIVING

• Kia Sorento ranked 13 in UK´s ´Top 100 Cars´ survey
• Kia brand climbs three places in manufacturers´ rankings

Kia Motors Europe Headquarters, Eschborn, Germany - 24 March 2006

The Kia Sorento SUV was highly praised by the UK´s Auto Express magazine this week when it published its ´2006 Driver Power´ survey of the nation´s ´Top 100 cars´.

In the SUV category, the Kia Sorento was rated as runner-up, narrowly headed by the more expensive BMW X5 but beating cars from Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Land Rover. In various overall categories, Sorento was rated in third place for ´practicality´ and best SUV, fourth for ´ease of driving´ and best SUV, sixth for ´comfort´ and best SUV, and in seventh place for ´reliability´.

"We are very pleased with this outstanding performance of our bestselling SUV in delivering excellent customer satisfaction, as it corresponds closely with our brand´s ´trustworthy, quality and dynamic´ aspirations," commented Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President of Kia Motors Europe.

Overall the Kia Sorento was ranked 13th amongst the 100 vehicles, with an owner satisfaction rating of 86.29%.

As a manufacturer, Kia was ranked 15th out of 37 - up three places from last year - and ahead of such established brands as VW, Seat, Nissan, Ford, Vauxhall, Citroen, Renault, Fiat, Suzuki and Peugeot.

A record number of 46,423 readers took part in the latest edition of its annual survey which monitors reliability and customer satisfaction with readers´ vehicles, which are no more than three years old. To be eligible for inclusion in the survey, each car had to have generated at least 90 reader questionnaires. Auto Express is Britain´s biggest selling weekly motoring publication - with a certified circulation of over 90,000 sales for each edition.

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 29 markets in Europe.

About Kia Motors Corporation
Kia Motors Corporation (www.kiamotors.com) 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 16 manufacturing and assembly operations in 12 countries produce more than 1.1 million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 155 countries. Kia today has 32,000 employees and annual revenues of US$14 billion.

Kia is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the Davis 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.

Press Contact

Dr. Iris von Kirschbaum
Tel 0049 6196 5092 132 Email i.kirschbaum@kia-europe.com

Kia Motors Europe GmbH
Hauptstrasse 185, 65760 Eschborn, Germany.
Tel 0049 6196 5092 132 / Fax 0049 6196 5092 100