Kia Racing chases back-to-back wins at Barber Motorsports Park in round two of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge

IRVINE, Calif., March 29, 2012 - Kia Racing and Kinetic Motorsports return to Barber Motorsports Park for round two of the 2012 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) aiming for back-to-back wins at the beautiful, purpose-built road course carved into the hills outside Birmingham, Ala. Coming off a thrilling race and photo finish at Daytona in January, the team is optimistic about the Koups' chances to once again stand tall on the podium at Barber.

"We are really looking forward to going back to Barber where we had our first GRAND-AM win with Kia last year," said Jönsson. "Both Forte Koups should be very strong in Birmingham, and following the racing debut of the new Kia Optimas last weekend in St. Petersburg, which resulted in two top-ten finishes in our first World Challenge series event, the entire crew is energized to return to Barber and take the next step in defending our 2011 Team and Driver championships."

Something else to watch for this weekend: Andy Lally has a chance to make motorsports history at Barber by becoming the first driver with 100-career GRAND-AM podium finishes. Following his most recent CTSCC podium with Kia and his Rolex series victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona, Lally has climbed the podium 98 times in his decorated GRAND-AM road racing career. At Barber, Lally will again be doing double duty, co-driving the No. 10 Infinity Audio Kia Forte Koup with Jönsson and piloting a GT-class Porsche in the Rolex series.

Last year, joined by co-driver Michael Galati, Nic Jönsson and the No. 10 Forte Koup dominated the CTSCC round at Barber much to the delight of a large contingent of team members from Kia's nearby manufacturing plant – Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG). Jönsson and Lally visited KMMG on Tuesday, March 27 to talk about Kia's expanding motorsports program and sign autographs as the team made final preparations for Barber.

"Returning to Barber feels a lot like coming home for Kia Racing," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "With our U.S. assembly plant just down the road in West Point, Ga., our strong dealer body in the area and Kinetic's home base nearby, we are looking forward to seeing a lot of Kia Racing fans at the track and hoping to give them another great show by repeating last year's historic performance."

Round two of the CTSCC at Barber Motorsports Park starts Saturday, March 31 at 5 p.m. ET. Kia Racing fans can check out live race status updates, photos and videos at www.facebook.com/kiaracing. Televised coverage of the race begins at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 8 on SPEED.

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Courtesy of Kia Media

Kia Motors America To Become the First Korean Automaker to Compete in the Pirelli World Challenge

IRVINE, Calif., March 22, 2012 - Kia Motors America (KMA) and its racing partner Kinetic Motorsports are revved up and ready to attack the track when the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC) series kicks off its 2012 season on the demanding Streets of St. Petersburg Saturday, March 24. The PWC brings new tracks and competition to Kia Racing, but coming off the championship-winning season with the Infinity Audio Forte Koups in the 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, hopes are high that the high-octane momentum continues into 2012 with the impressive turbocharged Optimas in the GTS class.

"Beginning a new race season with new cars in a new series is a very exciting opportunity for the Kia brand," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "The Kia Racing team and Kinetic Motorsports did a phenomenal job in building and preparing the turbocharged Optimas for GTS competition, and we're looking forward to competing in the Pirelli World Challenge this year as well as defending our GRAND-AM titles from 2011."

The start of the season may be just days away, but Kia Racing has been busy behind the scenes for months. The team at Kinetic has been meticulously building, preparing and testing the turbocharged Optimas during the off season. Galati and Braun look to take advantage of the incredible handling and balance the Optimas possess when they take to the 14-turn city-street course in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2012 PWC season kick off in St. Petersburg on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25. Check out live race status, photos, and updates at facebook.com/kiaracing and watch live streaming race coverage at world-challengetv.com at 5:50 p.m. ET on Saturday and 10:50 a.m. ET on Sunday. Race fans can also tune in for television coverage on the new NBC Sports Network on Sunday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Courtesy of Kia Media

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Kia Motors America and LPGA star Michelle Wie donate $50,000 to Camp Pendleton's armed services YMCA Operation Hero program

CARLSBAD, Calif., March 21, 2012 - On the eve of the third annual Kia Classic Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) golf tournament at La Costa Resort and Spa, Kia Motors America (KMA) and two-time LPGA winner Michelle Wie paired up today to donate $50,000 to Operation Hero, one of the keystone programs of the nearby Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA). The funds, which are intended to help Operation Hero maintain staff and provide equipment and supplies to more than 375 kindergarten and elementary students at Camp Pendleton, commemorate Michelle Wie's graduation from Stanford University. Operation Hero provides free mentoring and tutoring to at-risk elementary-aged children of military families living at Camp Pendleton, which is home to more than 100,000 men and women of the armed forces and their families.

"As a Southern California-based company and one of the fastest growing auto brands in the U.S., Kia Motors is deeply committed to supporting the local communities in which we do business," said Tom Loveless, vice president, sales, KMA. "Operation Hope delivers much needed services and assistance to the children of our military service men and women and it is our privilege to make a contribution in partnership with Michelle Wie and celebrate her college graduation in a special and meaningful way."

"Our after school program, Operation Hero, is our most critical program for the young military children attending the five elementary schools on Camp Pendleton," said George Brown, Executive Director, Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA. "While reducing their stress levels, the program provides the children skills to be successful socially and academically at both home and school."

The donation comes prior to Michelle Wie's participation in the third annual Kia Classic, from March 19-25 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., in which a strong field of the LPGA players from around the world will compete for a $1.7 million purse with the winner taking home a first-place check for $255,000 and one of the first range-topping Optima Limited sedans¹ to roll off the production line at Kia's U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia.

Kia's Unprecedented Growth
Kia Motors is the one of the world's fastest moving global automotive brands; from 2009-2011 Kia launched more new vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker, and under the guidance of chief design officer Peter Schreyer earned a reputation as an industry leader in automotive styling. Kia Motors America's full line of fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive cars and CUVs has earned critical acclaim and dramatically increased consumer awareness, perception and consideration for the brand. In 2011, KMA recorded its 17th consecutive year of market share growth, thanks in part to the largest increase of any major brand in perceived quality and the industry's highest brand loyalty ranking. Kia's U.S.-based manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia – KMMG – is responsible for the creation of more than 10,000 plant and supplier jobs and builds the company's two best-selling vehicles in the U.S. – the Sorento CUV and Optima midsize sedan. Kia's value and technology-laden 2012 model year lineup also includes the Sportage compact CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Optima Hybrid, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, all-new Rio and Rio5-door sub-compacts and Sedona minivan.

About Camp Pendleton Armed Services YMCA
The Armed Services YMCA at Camp Pendleton has served the military community since 1943 with programs and services enhancing their lives with a focus towards the junior enlisted ranks by reducing deployment stress, improving their quality of life, strengthening families, and making military life easier for over 58,000 active duty and family members each year.

 

Courtesy of Kia Media

First Drive: 2012 Kia Optima Limited

The Optima is currently the largest and most expensive sedan in Kia's U.S. lineup. That will remain the case for at least the next several months, as Kia won't yet confirm whether the larger Cadenza (a.k.a. the K7) will be sold here. Expect an announcement on this front sometime this summer, when we will likely also learn if we'll get the rear-wheel-drive Kia K9, which is just making its debut at the Geneva show.

In the meantime, Kia has added the top-of-the-line Limited to the Optima lineup. The "Drive the Dream" Super Bowl commercial with Adriana Lima, Motley Crue, and Chuck Liddell actually marked the debut of the Limited, although you might have missed that nuance while watching the overstimulating ninety-second ad.

The $34,900 Limited is as fancy as you can build an Optima; the required technology/premium package means that it also includes navigation, a cool panoramic sunroof, an upgraded stereo, heated and ventilated front seats, and heated rear seat cushions. Kia's head product planner, Ralph Tjoa, says that the Limited is designed to appeal to buyers who previously owned luxury cars such as the Lexus ES, the Nissan Maxima, the Toyota Avalon, and the Volkswagen CC. "These buyers expect more," Tjoa says, pointing out that they're able to pay for more, as 27 percent of Optima buyers have an annual household income of more than $100,000.

The Limited itself is a bit of a nuance, too, since it's not a trim level but merely a $3300 option package for the top-of-the-line SX models equipped with the $4350 "SX Technology & Premium Package." Making your Optima a Limited adds only cosmetic touches: softer leather upholstery, LED daytime running lights, chrome wheels, red-painted front brake calipers, chrome-accented side sills and a similarly finished rear spoiler, subtle wood interior trim, nicer material for the headliner, and, yes, a first-aid kit. Also, a blue "L" badge is installed next to the "SX" lettering on the trunk lid, so you could actually call it the Optima SXL.

A base Optima -- still a very nice car -- starts at $21,750. About half of Optima buyers so far have sprung for the upper EX, EX Turbo, or SX trim levels, so Kia figures that about ten percent will opt for the Optima Limited.  

 Those customers should be quite happy with their purchase, as the feature-filled car drives exactly like any other turbocharged Optima. It rides smoothly (more smoothly, in fact, than pretty much every other Korean car on the market), it handles better than most mid-size-car buyers will ever require, it steers pretty well, and it accelerates quickly and unobtrusively. We drove the Optima mostly on Florida interstates, and we considered driving it all the way north to Michigan rather than catch our flight early the next morning. Snowbirds who often make the I-75 trek would adore this car, as would style-conscious people who seek moderate driving satisfaction.

Our only complaints about the Limited trim level are that the chrome wheels and the red brake calipers look decidedly aftermarket (and not in a good way) and that the tack-on rear spoiler looks like it was pulled off another car.

Optimas with the Limited package will reach dealers in the next few weeks bearing, as previously noted, an MSRP of $34,900. In other Optima sales news, the hybrid model, which went on sale last summer on the coasts, will be rolled out in the rest of the country by early May, but won't get the Limited package.

Courtesy of Kia Media

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2012 Kia Soul Clay Pigeons Video