Kia cee´d Sporty Wagon production starts early

• First ´customer car´ dispatched to Italy - one month early
• 1,000 Sporty Wagons assembled during first week of production

One month ahead of schedule, Kia Motors celebrated the start of full production of the all-new cee´d Sporty Wagon on Monday when the first customer cars rolled of the company´s Zilina assembly line in Slovakia.

More than 1,000 wagons will be manufactured this week, with the very first example, finished in Black Pearl, destined for an Italian customer and the majority of this initial batch being distributed to the Kia dealer network in Europe´s Top-5 markets - Germany, Spain, the UK, France and Italy.

"The new Kia cee´d Sporty Wagon retains all the attributes of the cee´d hatchback and offers consumers extra practicality and versatility, while keeping stylish stand-alone good looks with a truly sporty feel," enthused Mr Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe. "With ride, handling and performance every bit as responsive as the hatchback, the Sporty Wagon is sure to delight existing Kia customers and attract a new group of European consumers who have not yet considered our brand."

During the first half of 2007, Zilina manufactured more than 63,000 cee´d five-door hatchbacks - setting a daily-record output in April with 830 units completed in a single day, and a monthly-record in May when a total of 14,000 cars were dispatched.

Kia´s Slovakia manufacturing facility, which also produces diesel engines, is the company´s first assembly plant in Europe and represents an investment of €1 billion. Currently, the plant directly employs 2,400 people working a two-shift operation. Thanks to the built-in quality of cee´d models, all versions are covered by a unique Kia 7-Year/150,000 kilometre warranty.
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The 4.5-metre long cee´d Sporty Wagon is 235 mm longer than the hatchback, with a luggage capacity of 534 litres - almost 200 litres more than its sister car.

The cee´d Sporty Wagon is the second member of the cee´d family, following the launch of the five-door hatchback earlier this year. A third model will join the line-up in December when production of the new three-door hatchback is scheduled to begin, with customer
deliveries planned during the first quarter of 2008.

- Ends -

Editors´ Notes

Kia Motors Europe
Kia Motors Europe is the European sales, marketing, and service arm of Kia Motors Corporation. With its headquarters in Frankfurt, 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 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in nine countries produce more than 1.3 million vehicles a year that are sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 165 countries. Kia today has 33,000 employees and annual revenues of US$19 billion.

Kia is the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and an official worldwide sponsor of the
Davis Cup. From 2007 to 2014, Kia will be an official automotive partner of FIFA - governing body of soccer´s FIFA World Cup. Kia boosted its football links this year with three new sponsorships of major teams that will see the Kia logo appearing in the UEFA Champions League - FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FC Brussels and Atletico de Madrid.

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

Mr Panu Vainamo
Tel 0049 69 850 928 352 Email pvainamo@kia-europe.com

Kia Motors Europe GmbH
Theodor-Heuss-Allee 11, 60486 Frankfurt, Germany.
Tel 0049 69 850 928 352 Fax 0049 69 850 928 399