- Kia Motors posts 15.4% growth and 3.3% growth in general markets and North America, respectively, in January (SEOUL) February 20, 2009 -- Kia Motors Corporation announced today that it has continued to gain market share in general markets and North America, posting 15.4% and 3.3% growth, respectively, in January. By region, general markets, North America and Korea experienced sales gains in January. General markets experienced the largest gain with 19,075 units (a 15.4% year-on-year increase), while 23,921 units were sold in North America (a 3.3% year-on-year increase) and 22,056 were sold in Korea (a 0.1% year-on-year increase). Kia's best selling model in overseas markets in January was the C-segment Cerato (known as 'Spectra' in some markets) with 15,898 units sold. The Sportage compact SUV and the B-segment Rio compete closely for second with 10,429 and 10,144 units sold, respectively. Meanwhile, the C-segment cee'd came in fourth place with 6,741 units and the A-segment Picanto rounds out the group with 5,234 units. Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division, said, "Kia Motors continues to scrupulously monitor and manage its business during these challenging economic times. This month, North America experienced steady growth, while other automakers reported substantial losses. With our new Soul urban crossover and next-generation Cerato (to be known as 'Forte' in some markets) becoming fully available in many markets early this year, we are confident that Kia Motors will continue to grow throughout 2009." In January, global sales of passenger cars, recreation vehicles (RVs) and light trucks recorded 92,311 units, marking a 10.5% year-on-year decrease. ### Kia Motors Corporation (www.kia.com) -- a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart -- 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. Nearly 1.5 million vehicles a year are produced in 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 172 countries. Kia today has over 40,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of over US$14.5 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Open and an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World Cup -- as well as a EUROTOP partner of UEFA. Kia Motors Corporation's brand slogan -- "The Power to Surprise" -- represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.