Kia Motors America (KMA), one of America’s fastest-growing car companies over the last five years , unveiled a significantly updated version of its best-selling Optima mid-size sedan today at the 2013 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). Just three years ago, Kia turned the automotive world on its head when the Peter Schreyer-penned Optima mid-size sedan was unveiled at the 2010 NYIAS. Since that time, Optima has become Kia’s sales leader, selling more than 150,000 units last year and gaining worldwide acclaim for its European-inspired design and fun-to-drive performance. The 2014 Optima, built in the U.S.* at Kia’s West Point, Ga., facility (KMMG), arrives with updated front and rear fascias, retaining the vehicle’s dynamic and sporty proportions. Available in LX, EX, SX, SX Turbo and SX-Limited trims, the Optima’s new premium amenities and convenience options make Optima an impressive player in the competitive mid-size sedan segment. The 2014 Optima is expected to arrive in Kia retail showrooms in the third quarter of the year, and pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle’s on-sale date.

Kia Motors America (KMA) has launched a new national advertising campaign for Hispanic audiences to coincide with this month’s arrival of the redesigned and U.S.-built* 2014 Kia Optima midsize sedan in showrooms nationwide. The light-hearted 30-second spots highlight the Optima’s easy-to-use technology features, turbocharged performance and redesigned front and rear fascias – which stay true to the award-winning original design while introducing several new styling cues – as well as the optional SXL trim which offers premium amenities such as Nappa leather trimmed seats and 18-inch chrome wheels.

Making it a three-peat, basketball superstar and global brand ambassador Blake Griffin is back, and this time he’s brought along a cape and a sidekick – funnyman Jack McBrayer – to hit the streets as “The Griffin Force” in a series of eight new television commercials for Kia’s best-selling Optima midsize sedan. The campaign, which continues the signature, off-kilter comedy of previous efforts, debuts during tonight’s Kia NBA Tip-Off ’13 doubleheader featuring the back-to-back champion Miami Heat against the Chicago Bulls and an all-Los Angeles affair with Griffin’s Clippers taking on the Lakers. Sixty- and 30-second versions of the first spot will demonstrate how the Griffin-McBrayer superhero squad fights to save the world, one Kia Optima at a time. The next spot, “Zipline,” will begin airing in early November and continue the epic adventures as The Griffin Force saves citizens from making terrible decisions by showing them a better, smarter and more attractive way: the redesigned 2014 Optima.

Kia Motors America (KMA), one of the fastest-growing car companies in America over the last five years1, debuts a significantly updated version of its best-selling Optima mid-size sedan on the heels of the 2013 SEMA Show. Just three years ago, Kia turned the automotive world on its head when the Peter Schreyer-penned Optima was unveiled at the 2010 New York International Auto Show. Since then, Optima has become Kia’s sales leader, selling more than 150,000 units last year and gaining worldwide acclaim for its European-inspired design and fun-to-drive performance. The 2014 Optima, built in the U.S.* at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) in West Point, Ga., arrives with updated front and rear fascias, retaining the vehicle’s dynamic and sporty proportions. Now available in LX, EX, SX, SX-Turbo and SX-Limited trims, the Optima’s new premium amenities and convenience add fresh allure to this runaway success story.

Recognized as one of the “50 Best Global Green Brands” by Interbrand, Kia Motors is celebrating Earth Week by highlighting its commitment to environmental sustainability in the United States, including important local partnerships with The Ecology Center and Pacific Marine Mammal Center (PMMC), as well as marking the arrival of the refreshed 2014 Optima Hybrid in showrooms. The Optima Hybrid will be joined later this year by Kia’s first all-electric, zero-emission vehicle in the U.S. – the Soul EV – and both vehicles illustrate the brand’s vision for a greener future. As such, Kia Motors America (KMA) will place two electric car charging units at The Ecology Center, a San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based non-profit eco-education center dedicated to creating a healthy and abundant future for all of Southern California. Community members will benefit from Kia-subsidized vehicle charging.

Kia’s two best-selling vehicles in the U.S. market were recently acknowledged by AutoPacific with Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) for 2014. The midsize Optima sedan won the Best-In-Class Mid-Size Car award for the second consecutive year, while the ultra-popular Soul urban passenger vehicle won Best-In-Class Compact Car segment for the first time. Both Optima and Soul set all-time monthly sales records in May with 16,843 and 15,606 units sold, respectively. The 18th annual AutoPacific VSA studied new-car buying results from over 92,000 consumers.

Kia Motors America’s (KMA) two most popular vehicles, the 2014 Optima and 2014 Soul, were ranked at the top of their respective segments in Strategic Vision’s Total Quality Index Study. Kia’s youthful, stylish and well-built vehicles earned the brand the highest Total Quality score of all mainstream brands in this year’s annual study. The Soul captured the best score in the small multi-function car segment for the second year in a row. Analysts at Strategic Vision look for brands and products that are innovative, bold and smart. Customers’ perceptions of quality also play a major role in overall scores for brands and vehicles.