20th anniversary in the US
OVER the last two decades, Kia Motors America (KMA) has seen unprecedented growth, due in part to an aggressive new vehicle launch cadence – 16 new or significantly redesigned cars and CUVs (crossover utility vehicles) in the last five years alone.
In addition to delivering seven allnew or significantly refreshed vehicles in 2013, Kia also received more industry awards and accolades than ever before.
Kia begins 2014 as the seventh largest brand in the United States by volume and looking back on its second consecutive year of more than half a million total sales.
The United States-built Optima was Kia’s best-selling vehicle for the second straight year and set an all-time single nameplate annual sales record for Kia with more than 155,000 units sold. Kia has been one of the industry’s most improved brands when it comes to vehicle quality, and that trend continued in 2013 as the company achieved its first-ever top 10 ranking in the J.D. Power 2013 United States Initial Quality Studysm (IQS).
“For 20 years, Kia has had the courage to defy one industry convention after another while implementing our long-term strategy,” said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and chief executive officer of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG).
“As evidenced by the upcoming launch of our K900 flagship sedan, we will continue to pursue new opportunities for growth.”
The KMMG-assembled Optima and Sorento were two of Kia’s top three sellers last year.