Kia Motors America Announces July Sales

Sorento SUV Enjoys Best Month Ever, Year-to-Date Sales Up 11.2%

IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 3 -- Record monthly sales of the Sorento SUV helped Kia Motors America (KMA) continue the company's pace for its 11th annual sales record, despite July unit sales as a whole dropping 1.5-percent versus the same month in 2003. Year-to-date sales of 159,538 are up 11.2-percent, while July sales totaled 23,637 versus 24,009 units sold during the same period in 2003.

"Kia has set numerous sales records in 2004, and we are very pleased to have the Sorento set a new monthly high following on the heels of May and June, in which we achieved back-to-back monthly sales records," said Peter M. Butterfield, Kia Motors America's president and chief executive officer. "Our new Spectra sedan is beginning to gain momentum in the marketplace and other next generation products, including Sorento and Sedona, continue to be popular with consumers."

Sorento sales of 5,460 units represent its second monthly sales record in 2004, eclipsing the old mark (set in February 2004) by 26.5-percent. In addition to the Sorento sales record, the Sedona minivan continued its strong sales momentum in 2004 with 6,599 units sold, a 13.7-percent increase over July 2003.

Kia Motors America is the U.S. sales, marketing and service arm of Kia Motors Corp. in Seoul, South Korea.

                             MONTH OF JULY                YEAR-TO-DATE

   Model                  2004         2003           2004           2003
   Optima                 3,443        3,867         27,865         18,982
   Rio                    2,955        3,768         26,828         22,477
   Sedona                 6,599        5,803         40,936         31,517
   Spectra/Sephia         4,386        6,697         24,789         41,520
   Sportage                   3           74             59          5,408
   Sorento                5,460        3,800         29,168         23,611
   Amanti                   791          N/A          9,893            N/A

   Total                 23,637       24,009        159,538        143,515