Kia Celebrates 5 Millionth Export Kia Motors marked its 5 millionth export in a ceremony at Pyongtaek Harbor in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday. The crucial vehicle was a model of its compact car ?Morning? - or ?Picanto? when exported - headed for Italy. After Hyundai Motor celebrated its 10 millionth export last year, Kia has now brought the total exports of the Hyundai-Kia Motors group to more than 15 million units.
From its humble beginnings as a bicycle maker in 1944, Kia Motors became the first exporter of automobiles in Korea in 1975 when it sold 10 ?Brissa? pickup trucks in Qatar in the Arabian Gulf. The export price per unit was US$1,400. Last year?s price for Kia cars on average exceeded $12,000.
Kia?s exports have skyrocketed since its 1998 management overhaul, reaching the 2 million mark in 2001 and 4 million in 2003.
By model, the "Sephia" sold most with 720,000 units (14.4 percent), followed by the "Pride" with 560,000 units, the "Sportage" with 460,000, the "Carnival" with 450,000, the "Abella" with 320,000 and the "Sorrento" with 280,000.
The biggest export market was the U.S. with 43 percent, followed by Europe with 23 percent and Africa-Middle East with 9 percent.
Meanwhile the daily USA Today reported Wednesday Hundai-Kia Motors "are gearing up to outrun Japanese cars and other competitors.? However, it said it would not be easy to keep up with the present growth rate. The paper said the Korean company's brand recognition lagged behind Japanese rivals and it still suffered an image problem.
It added keeping up both quality and competitive pricing was getting tougher with increasing competition.
It quoted George Peterson, president of car consultants AutoPacific, as saying, ?You don?t have to explain to your neighbors why you bought a Toyota, but you must have a strong argument ready when buying a Hyundai or a Kia automobile.?
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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