Record December Powers Kia Motors America To Best-Ever Annual Sales Total

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On the strength of eight consecutive monthly sales records – including December – Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced all-time best annual sales of 625,818 vehicles in 2015, up 7.9 percent year-over-year. The record-setting December total of 54,241 vehicles increased 19 percent over the same period last year and pushed Kia over the 600,000-unit mark for the first time in company history.

Kia's historic year included a number of standout performances, including:

• Optima establishing a new single nameplate record of 159,414 units
• Soul sales increasing for the sixth straight year
• Best-ever sales of the Forte, Forte5 and Forte Koup family of compact cars
• K900 sales nearly doubling and Sedona sales increasing more than 150 percent
• Combined year-over-year CUV sales – Sportage and Sorento – climbing 16.9 percent
• The sale of Kia's six millionth vehicle in the U.S. since 1994

"Even without the benefit of a truck in our lineup, Kia began 2015 as one of Yahoo!'s 'hottest brands' and it only got better from there as we outperformed the record-setting industry and posted big gains in several passenger car and CUV segments," said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, KMA. "The new Kia is a recognized leader in design, quality, advanced technology and value, and with three all-new products scheduled to launch in 2016, we will continue challenging everything people think they know about this brand and our world-class products."

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea.  KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and set an all-time annual sales record in 2015, surpassing the 600,000 unit mark for the first time in company history. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles, including the rear-drive K900¹ flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Soul Electric Vehicle², Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona midsize multi-purpose vehicle, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States.  Kia's U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, builds the Optima* and Sorento* and is responsible for the creation of more than 15,000 plant and supplier jobs.

Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.  To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.

* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.
¹ K900 available in select trims and in select markets with limited availability.
² Soul EV in select markets with limited availability.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160105/319360

SOURCE Kia Motors America

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