Record June Powers Kia Motors America To Best-Ever First Half Sales

Year-to-Date Sales Up 5.6 Percent for the First Non-Premium Brand To Top J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study in 27 Years

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Jul 01, 2016, 12:47 ET

IRVINE, Calif., July 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- After J.D. Power recognized the brand as the highest scoring nameplate in its 2016 Initial Quality Study (IQS) out of all 33 makes in the U.S., Kia Motors America's (KMA) June sales jumped 15.6 percent over the same period last year to 62,572 vehicles, capping the greatest quarter and half-year performances in company history. The brand's fifth monthly sales record in six months included best-ever June totals for the Forte family of compact cars as well as the Sportage and Sorento CUVs.

Record June powers Kia Motors America to best-ever first half sales

Kia's year-to-date sales of 328,327 units was driven by a number of standout performances, including:

A 76.3 percent year-over-year increase for the Sportage compact CUV, highlighted by the best-ever single month total in May for Kia's longest-running nameplate
Best-ever first half sales of the Forte compacts, including an all-time high of 10,406 units in March
Continued popularity for the Soul, with the iconic urban passenger vehicle on pace for increased sales for the seventh straight year

"No auto brand has experienced greater growth over the last 20 years than Kia, and J.D. Power's IQS announcement boosted our momentum with huge increases in online and showroom traffic," said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, KMA. "By every measure, the 'New Kia' is an elite automaker and one of the industry's greatest success stories."

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. Kia offers a complete line of vehicles in the U.S., 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 minivan, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia's North American manufacturing operations include plants in West Point, Georgia*, and the municipality of Pesqueria in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

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.

	MONTH OF JUNE		YEAR-TO-DATE
Model	2016	2015	2016	2015
Rio	5,238	2,420	15,368	14,835
Forte	9,170	7,907	52,742	43,182
Optima	9,180	13,488	61,067	79,966
Cadenza	203	359	2,756	3,289
K900	62	168	439	710
Sportage	8,549	3,550	42,229	23,955
Sorento	12,118	8,967	59,078	56,421
Sedona	5,823	5,434	24,120	20,608
Soul	12,229	11,844	70,528	67,986
Total	62,572	54,137	328,327	310,952