Ian Beavis Joins Kia as New Vice President of Marketing

IRVINE, Calif., May 12, 2005 -- Ian Beavis will join Kia Motors America, Inc. (KMA) as vice president of marketing at its U.S. headquarters in Irvine, Calif., effective Tuesday, May 17. In his new role, Beavis will oversee KMA's marketing operations including advertising, product planning and public relations.

With more than 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, Beavis, 52, joins Kia after serving more than a year as senior vice president of marketing, public relations and product planning for Mitsubishi Motors North America. Prior to that, Beavis held numerous leadership positions, including: president & CEO of Foote, Cone & Belding in charge of FC&B's San Francisco and Seattle offices, including Boeing's international account; senior vice president of Bozell-Detroit managing DaimlerChrysler's Asia Pacific account; and executive vice president of Saatchi & Saatchi responsible for all Toyota USA business, including operations in Canada and the U.S.

"We're extremely pleased to have Ian join Kia at a time of continuing sales growth, ongoing new model introductions and significant quality improvements," said Kia Motors America president and CEO Peter M. Butterfield. "He brings a wealth of marketing and advertising expertise to this position as we move forward in our efforts to expand brand awareness and sharpen our brand positioning."

Beavis joins Kia on the heels of an April year-to-date sales record, which saw a 15.9 percent increase over the same month in 2004 and the second-best sales total in the company's history. Kia also celebrated a first-quarter sales record in March with a 6.6 percent increase over the same period in 2004.

Kia recently launched the all-new 2005 Sportage compact SUV and is preparing to launch the all-new 2006 Rio and Rio5 sub-compact sedan and sport hatch.

Kia Motors America is the sales, marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corp. in Seoul, South Korea. For more information, including photography, visit http://www.kiamedia.com/.