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KIA AUTOMOTIVE AUSTRALIA

KIA MOTORS EXPORTS 4 MILLIONTH CAR / Page 1 / November 4, 2003

KIA MOTORS EXPORTS 4 MILLIONTH CAR

- Export shipments reach record 57,421 complete vehicles in October

- North American shipments exceed 30,000 for the first time

Kia, the first car maker to export cars from Korea, dispatched its four millionth car from Korea, a Kia Sorento designed for the USA, on 31 October 2003, breaking two records with 57,421 cars exported in October setting a new monthly record for Kia and shipments to the USA passing 30,000 for the first time.

Kia exports started in 1975 when a ute version of the Brisa sedan was exported to Greece and the Middle East. The Korean car maker now exports to 190 countries, including Australia, where sales have broken records nearly every month this year and demand for Kia products is running well ahead of supply.

The top three exports for October were the Rio, followed by the Carnival people mover and the extraordinarily popular Kia Sorento.

Shipments to North America passed the 30,000 mark for the first time, with 30,358 cars boarding ships at Kia’s shipping terminal in Pyongtaek bound for the United States and Canada, Kia’s two largest export markets.

Kia Motors COO Yong-Hwan Kim said, “Kia Motors has a long tradition of innovation in the Korean automotive market. The company developed Korea’s first passenger car in 1974 and the first petrol and diesel engines produced in the country. It is a great pleasure to see Kia continue to grow apace as we head into our sixtieth year of business.”

The company’s performance in October continues a very strong year. In the first three quarters of the year Kia has seen export shipments increase by 23.7 per cent over 2002. The company is currently the fastest growing brand in Europe – where sales exceeded 100,000 units for the first time this year – and in Canada, a market the company only entered in 1999.

“The success of the Sorento is driving sales across the entire Kia line-up,” says Mr. Kim. “Customers around the world are looking again at the Kia brand, liking what they see and our sales are going up accordingly.”

“We have five new vehicles scheduled for release next year,” he says. “The Picanto and the four and five door Cerato will significantly raise volumes in the important passenger car market. We are also beefing up our commercial offering with the new K-series truck and the Pregio light van.”

2004 will be Kia’s 60th anniversary and the thirtieth anniversary of its passenger car business, but the company has no intention of slowing down.

“The Kia aims to be one of the world’s top five automakers by 2010,” says Mr. Kim. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the improving product lineup and the increasing respect we are winning from our customers around the world makes the goal very achievable.”

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For further information:

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Ric Hull
Managing Director
Kia Automotive Australia
Ph: (02) 8577 8000
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Edward Rowe
Public Relations Manager
Kia Automotive Australia
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