Kia Motors aims for 15 pct sales jump in U.S. in 2010

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest
carmaker, said Tuesday it expects to boost U.S. sales by 15 percent this year as
it started production at its first factory in the U.S.
Kia, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., plans to sell 347,000 cars in the U.S.
this year, compared with some 300,000 units sold here last year, company
officials said.
If Kia meets the sales target, the Korean automaker's share in the U.S. market
would pass 3 percent this year, compared with a 2.9 percent share last year,
according to the company officials.
Kia spent US$1.2 billion to build the factory in West Point, Georgia. The Georgia
plant is producing a revamped Sorento sport-utility vehicle and a new mid-size
sedan, code-named TF.
In January this year, Kia's sales in the U.S. rose 0.1 percent from a year ago to
22,123 units.
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