IRVINE, Calif., June 2, 2004 - Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced its best sales month ever with 25,443 units sold during May, a 15.6 percent increase versus the same period last year. Kia’s year-to-date sales of 108,265 -- up 9.1 percent over 2003 -- put the Korean automaker in position to achieve its 11th consecutive annual sales record by the end of the year.

Kia’s record-setting month featured strong sales performances from all of its products, including a Sedona sales increase of 23.6 percent over May 2003. The minivan’s year-to-date sales of 26,384 units represent a 28.0 percent increase over 2003. Rio sales were up 58.7 percent over May 2003, while the Amanti large premium sedan eclipsed 2,000 unit sales in one month for the first time in its brief history.

“Kia’s newer products such as the Sorento, Sedona, Optima and Amanti have been strong performers throughout the year, and particularly strong volume from Rio in May helped us set a new monthly sales record that we are very proud of,” said Peter M. Butterfield, Kia’s president and chief executive officer. “We’re pleased with the efforts of our retail partners to not only increase volume, but to enhance customer sales and service satisfaction. And in another first for Kia, two of our retailers sold more than 500 vehicles in May, a number that had previously never been achieved.”

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

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