Kia Motors America Named Auto Industry Leader in Customer Loyalty Increases by Polk

• Kia achieves 49.8 percent loyalty rate in 2010, a 5.9 percentage point increase over 2009

DETROIT, January 12, 2011 – Kia Motors America (KMA) today was honored by Polk as the “most improved” automotive brand in customer loyalty in 2010 during the 15th Annual Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards ceremony held at the Automotive News World Congress during the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. KMA’s “Most Improved Loyalty to Make” honor comes shortly after the company announced all-time record full-year sales in 2010 as well as its 16th consecutive year of market share growth in the U.S.

“With our ongoing design-led transformation delivering a stable of exciting new and recently introduced products, the industry’s best warranty, and a firm commitment to improvements in product quality and customer service, Kia Motors continues to build a brand that is attracting new consumers daily, and we remain focused on owner satisfaction and keeping existing owners in the Kia family,” said Tom Loveless, vice president, sales, KMA. “The Polk ‘Most Improved Loyalty to Make’ award is an honor and testament to the emphasis the KMA team and our dealers have placed on providing a world-class customer experience at every step from consideration, to purchase and ownership.”

Now in its second year, the “Most Improved Loyalty to Make” award honors the automaker that showed the largest percentage point improvement in customer loyalty over one model year. In 2010, KMA posted an unprecedented 5.9 percentage point increase in loyalty, the most of any automaker during the same period, finishing the year at an impressive loyalty rate of 49.8 percent.

“Cultivating and maintaining a loyal customer base is difficult, yet imperative to sustain growth in a very competitive automotive market,” said Stephen Polk, chairman, president and CEO of R.L. Polk Co. “This award highlights the tremendous strides Kia has made over the past several years in customer retention, product design, and quality. Kia provides an excellent example of how a deliberate approach to customer loyalty can pay tremendous dividends for a brand.”

Kia’s model year 2011 vehicle line includes the Sorento CUV, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, Rio sub-compact sedan, Rio5 sub-compact hatchback and Sedona minivan.

About the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards

Now in its 15th year, the Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards program annually recognizes vehicle manufacturers that demonstrate the ability to retain owners over repeat buying cycles. The 2010 awards are based on 4.9 million return to market events during the 2010 model year. Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and purchases or leases another new vehicle of the same model or make. Polk’s Loyalty Management Practice regularly works with customers to effectively manage owner loyalty through the in-depth analysis of automotive shopping behaviors, related market influencers and development of retention strategies. For a complete list of current and past Polk Automotive Loyalty Award winners, please visit:http://usa.polk.com/Company/Loyalty/.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 730 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the “Official Automotive Partner of the NBA.” In 2010, KMA recorded its best-ever U.S. sales and 16th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its Web site www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.