Wednesday, November 25, 2009



All-new Kia Soul awarded 2010 'Top Safety Pick' by US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety




SYDNEY – November 24, 2009: Further exemplifying its exceptional quality and safety, the 2010 Kia Soul has yet again been recognized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US and been given a 2010 'Top Safety Pick' award for the second consecutive time this year in the Small Car category.

On the heels of earning a '2010 Automotive Excellence Award' from Popular Mechanics, being named to TIME.com's 'Most Exciting Cars of 2010' list and being named one of '10 Great and Safe Rides for Teens' by AutoWeek magazine, the youthful Kia five-door was one of only five small cars to earn the organization's top honor for earning 'Good' ratings - the highest achievable - in frontal, side, rear and rollover impact crash safety tests.

"Since its launch in March, Soul has lived up to its tagline of being Kia Motors' affordable halo vehicle by winning numerous awards and consistently being a media and consumer favorite," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of Kia Motors America (KMA).

"Soul being honored with a 'Top Safety Pick' for a second time solidifies it as a top contender in its segment and a vehicle that offers consumers the entire package."

Ratings from the Institute are based on results from frontal, side and rear impact crash tests and, for the first time, a good performance in a roof strength test to measure protection in a rollover also was required to win.

Each vehicle's overall evaluation was based on various measurements specific to each crash angle and overall impact on crash test dummies inside the vehicle at the time of collision. All vehicles must have electronic stability control available to be eligible as a 'Top Safety Pick'.

Kia Motors' funky five-door Soul is a perfect embodiment of the brand's current design-led transformation with its unique design and all Soul models are equipped with a high level of standard safety equipment.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Facebook Fan Recieves Pair of FSU Mens Basketball Season Tickets


Greg Kulbick stops to pose with Melanie Lee, General Manager of Kia Autosport. Greg was the winner of a pair of FSU mens basketball season tickets. This is our first of many Facebook fan appreciation contests. Look out for our next one soon!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Kia appeals to laid-off plant workers

Special to the News

Amy Weaver
Staff Writer

Published: November 5, 2009

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Days after the doors to Opelika’s BFGoodrich tire manufacturing plant closed for good, those at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia opened up indefinitely.

Both Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller and KMMG officials are hopeful the reopening of Kia’s online application process for production or maintenance team member positions at the West Point, Ga., assembly facility will be an opportunity for those people who weren’t looking for a job during the first application process nearly two years ago, but are now because of recent plant closings.

“There are many qualified individuals who were secure in their employment a couple years ago, but who have lost their jobs since then,” said Randy Jackson, Kia’s director of human resources and administration. “We’d love to have them join our team.”

The closure of BFGoodrich last week left about 1,000 salaried and hourly workers unemployed.

“Those folks that were at BFGoodrich, the company couldn’t say enough good things about their performance. They all were high-performing with a good work ethic,” Fuller said. “I expect many of them to go to Kia, if they haven’t already.”

About 1,200 individuals were hired from Kia’s initial application process that drew more than 40,000 applications in a 30-day period in January 2008. This application period will remain open indefinitely. To apply, visit http://www.kiajobsingeorgia.com.

“After you’ve applied, if you meet our qualifications, we’ll invite you for an interview,” Jackson said. “If you pass the interview, we’ll invite you to the 40-hour, pre-employment assessment training delivered by Quick Start at the Kia Georgia Training Center. And if you pass that, there are still two or three further steps before the final job offer.”

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Strong demand for Kia Forte and Kia Rio in October

October Auto Sales: Kia
(AP)

IRVINE, Calif. — Kia Motors America said Tuesday its October U.S. sales rose on strong demand for its Kia Forte compact and Rio subcompact.

BY THE NUMBERS: Kia sales rose 45.3 percent to 22,490 vehicles from 15,483 in the same month last year. For the first 10 months of the year, Kia sales rose 7.2 percent to 261,060 units from 243,571.

TOP SELLER: Sales of the new Forte totaled 4,984, while sales of the Rio increased 74.8 percent to 4,005.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.