Kia Motors urges U.S. dealers to boost sales amid industry crisis

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- Kia Motors Corp. urged its U.S. dealers Thursday to
increase sales as the second-largest carmaker in South Korea struggles with a
sharp slump in sales there.
"Hit by an unprecedented economic recession, competitors are worried over their
survival," a company statement quoted Ahn Byung-mo, president of Kia's U.S.
subsidiary, as saying after a meeting with some 900 dealers of its vehicles
operating in the U.S.
Kia should use the current "crisis as an opportunity to become a global brand
throughout an aggressive strategy," Ahn said in the statement.
Kia is an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top automaker.
The meeting of Kia dealers comes at a time when the "big three" U.S. automakers,
General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler, are teetering on the brink of bankruptcy
by begging for their government to provide a US$25 billion loan to keep their
businesses afloat.
Last month, Kia's U.S. vehicle sales plunged 39.3 percent from a year earlier to
15,483 units, according to Choi Dae-shik, an analyst at HI Investment and
Securities in Seoul.
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