IRVINE, Calif., April 1, 2003 – Despite the current challenges in the market, Kia set a first quarter sales record of 57,646, up four percent over the same period last year. Sales for March at 21,353 were virtually even with record sales set in March 2002.

“We continued to draw heavy showroom traffic in March from customers looking for appealing products with great value,” said Peter M. Butterfield, Kia’s president and chief executive officer. “We’re seeing particularly strong volume for Rio, Spectra and Sedona, and if we could increase our supply of the new Sorento we’d be even farther ahead of the industry pace.”

The Spectra and Optima both had the highest monthly numbers since June 2002 (selling 6,821 and 1,914 respectively), while the Sedona minivan recorded sales of 4,993, the second highest month since its introduction.

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

Download this press release (requires Acrobat Reader).