December 2016: Kia Motors America

[William Maley]

Record December Propels Kia Motors To Best-Ever Annual Sales In The U.S.

• Kia Closes 2016 Up 3.5 Percent, Surpassing Previous Record by More Than 20,000 Units

IRVINE, Calif., January 4, 2017 – Capping off an historic year that saw the Kia brand collect more third-party awards and accolades for quality and reliability than ever before, Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced all-time best annual sales of 647,598 vehicles in 2016, up 3.5 percent over 2015. The year concluded with best-ever fourth quarter sales, including the highest December total in company history of 54,353 units.

Kia’s record-breaking year included several standout performances, including:

• Four nameplates – Soul, Optima, Sorento and Forte – surpassing the 100,000 unit mark for the first time in company history
• The iconic Soul urban passenger vehicle earning the title of best-selling Kia in the U.S.
• Best-ever annual sales for the Sportage compact CUV and Forte family of compact cars, up more than 50 percent and 30 percent, respectively, over 2015
• Double digit year-over-year increases for Rio and Sedona

“From J.D. Power and Consumer Reports to many other respected third-party experts, Kia has never been more highly rated for quality and dependability, and customers flocked to our showrooms in December and throughout 2016 to experience all that the ‘New Kia’ offers,” said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, KMA. “No auto brand has experienced greater growth in the U.S. over the last 20-plus years, and Kia will be on the offensive once again in 2017 with several new products in the pipeline that will continue challenging everything people think they know about this brand, starting with a major world debut next week in Detroit.”

	MONTH OF DECEMBER		YEAR-TO-DATE
Model	2016	2015	2016	2015
Rio	1,269	997	28,700	23,742
Forte	7,560	5,411	103,292	78,919
Optima	12,572	13,682	124,203	159,414
Cadenza	428	598	4,738	7,343
K900	80	162	834	2,524
Sportage	6,207	6,044	81,066	53,739
Sorento	11,782	12,872	114,733	116,249
Sedona	2,028	2,316	44,264	36,755
Soul	12,427	12,159	145,768	147,133
Total	54,353	54,241	647,598	625,818