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IRVINE, Calif., March 14, 2012 - Kia Motors America (KMA) will become the first Korean manufacturer to compete in the Pirelli World Challenge (PWC), and together with racing partner Kinetic Motorsports, Kia Racing has assembled a world-class driver lineup for the 2012 season, which begins on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday, March 24. Fresh off his 2011 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Team title, five-time World Challenge Drivers' champion Michael Galati will drive the No. 36 Optima SX in the GTS class. Racing side-by-side with Galati will be Kia Racing's newest team member, 23-year-old Colin Braun, driving the No. 38 Optima.

"The Kia Racing team and Kinetic Motorsports have performed incredibly well in just three years of professional competition and launching the Optima Turbo into World Challenge marks another exciting step in the growth of our brand," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "With the talent we have behind the wheel and in the shop, Kia Racing has become a world-class motorsport organization, and everyone at Kia is looking forward to being a part of it for 2012."

With his 2011 GRAND-AM championships now in the record books, driver Michael Galati is ready to get the World Challenge season rolling. "Getting to drive for Kia Racing and Kinetic Motorsports again is a fantastic opportunity," said Galati."We experienced great success last year in GRAND-AM with the Forte Koup winning Kia's first-ever road racing championship, and hopefully we can keep that momentum going in World Challenge with this new turbocharged Optima racecar. The car already handles exceptionally well and is incredibly fast, despite the limited testing we've done. I can't wait to get on the track at St. Pete."

Bringing a diverse background to the Kia Racing program that ranges from open-wheel formula cars all the way to NASCAR stockers, Colin Braun joins the team having amassed 17 years of competitive driving success. Braun's racing resume includes stints in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series with Krohn Racing, the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Roush-Fenway Racing and, most recently, the Camping World Truck Series with Billy Ballew Motorsports.

"I'm really looking forward to being a part of such a successful team, and to play a role in Kia's expansion into World Challenge is truly exciting," said Braun. "The Kia Optima Turbo race car is absolutely stunning and while it's still very early in its development, I'm totally psyched for the 2012 season and showing this car off around the country to all the World Challenge fans."

With two Optima Turbo sedans assembled at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) and two highly-skilled drivers on the team, spirits are running high for the team as Kia's PWC debut nears. Kia and Kinetic Motorsports will salute the team members who work at the automaker's assembly plant in West Point, Ga., on Tuesday, March 27 for the first public unveiling of the racecars.

"Kinetic Motorsports is very excited with KMA's expansion of its racing program to include the turbocharged Optimas in World Challenge. The task of developing the Optima into a competitive GTS car is a challenge that we are looking forward to," said Russell Smith, owner of Kinetic Motorsports. "Together with the Optima World Challenge, the B-Spec Rio entering at the grassroots level and the No. 10 and 12 Forte Koups defending their GRAND-AM titles, it should make for a very busy year for us and an entertaining one for Kia Racing fans everywhere."

Round 1 and 2 of the 2012 PWC season kick off at the Streets of 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 race streaming at world-challengetv.com. Race fans can also tune in to see the racing action on the new NBC Sports Network on Sunday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 755 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." In 2011, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and became one of the fastest growing car companies in the U.S. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

IRVINE, Calif., January 31, 2012 - The momentum of the 2011 championship-winning season for Kia Motors America's (KMA) motorsports program carried into 2012 with a mere half a car length separating the No. 10 Infinity Audio Forte Koup from a win at Daytona International Speedway. Racing fans were treated to a near photo finish as Nic Jönsson and Andy Lally scored a solid second place finish at Friday's season-opening BMW Performance 200 at Daytona. The weekend started strong as Lally put Kia on the pole for the first time ever with a scorching lap time of 2:06.613, setting a new Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge (CTSCC) Street Tuner (ST) qualifying lap record for the legendary high-banked circuit. In his Kia debut, Mark Pombo qualified the No. 12 Forte Koup in the second position, making for an all-Kia front row on the starting grid.

"A podium finish is an awesome way to start the season. The Continental series is really deep with talent, not just in the driver's seat, but also in terms of engineers and mechanics," said Jönsson. "It's great to have Andy back on the team to help us run for Kia's first manufacturer's championship."

Rain made for treacherous conditions in the first 20 minutes of the race, but once the sun came out, the competition and the temperature heated up. "The rain and wet track made for an exciting start, and we had a good scrap with the BMW guys along the way. But my job was to pass the car off to Nic and let him do his magic," said Lally. "We've started this season the same way we did last season, with a podium here at Daytona. Let's hope we can finish it the same way, too, and score another championship for Kia Racing."

Starting from second place on the grid, the brothers Mark and Mat Pombo had high hopes for their first outing in the No. 12 Infinity Audio Forte Koup and despite two on-track incidents, Mat Pombo ultimately crossed the finish line in a respectable 11th place.

"Achieving back-to-back podium finishes at a demanding track like Daytona speaks to the hard work and dedication of our team's offseason program," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "Andy and Nic's podium finish is a fantastic start for Kia and Kinetic Motorsports as we look to repeat last season's championship performance, and we are looking forward to more great performances throughout the 2012 season."

Race fans can watch the season-opening BMW Performance 200 at Daytona on SPEED on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 12:00 p.m. ET. Kia Racing fans can catch all the latest news and updates on our fan page at www.facebook.com/kiaracing.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 755 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." In 2011, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and became one of the fastest growing car companies in the U.S. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visitwww.kiamedia.com.

• Kia and Kinetic Motorsports continue partnership to build and campaign two Optima SXs in World Challenge
• Additional motorsports activities for 2012 include B-Spec racing with the all-new 2012 Rio 5-door and Optima Hybrid serving as the official pace car at United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) events

LOS ANGELES, November 16, 2011 - It took the Kia Racing program just two seasons and 20 starts to capture Kia Motors America's (KMA) first-ever championships in the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, and today at the Los Angeles Auto Show the company announced a major motorsports expansion for 2012 with two turbocharged Optimas set to enter the Pirelli World Challenge Championships. Continuing KMA's successful partnership with Kinetic Motorsports, the World Challenge Optima SXs will compete in the Grand Touring Sport (GTS) class alongside established nameplates such as Mustang and Camaro at world-class race tracks across North America, including Road Atlanta, the street circuit in Long Beach, Calif., and Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

"As a brand with no previous racing experience in America, for Kia to win two motorsports championships in just its second year is an incredible accomplishment, and expanding our motorsports footprint with the turbocharged Optima entering World Challenge will continue to build passion and enthusiasm for the brand with an entirely new fan base at different race tracks across the country," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. "With its aerodynamic styling and outstanding driving dynamics, the Optima SX should be well suited to the ultra-competitive environment of World Challenge racing."

Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, World Challenge features world-class drivers and race-prepped versions of production vehicles from many of the world's most popular manufacturers. The Kia Optimas will be the first Korean vehicles to compete in the series - which includes a suspenseful standing start rather than the more common rolling start - and is known for exciting door-to-door action throughout the 50-minute sprint races. For 2012, World Challenge races will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network.

Maintaining continuity in the Kia Racing program's third-year, Kinetic Motorsports will build, develop and campaign the two Optima World Challenge cars while continuing Kia's Forte Koup efforts in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Drivers for both programs will be announced in the near future.

The Optima is not the only Kia vehicle being summoned for race track duty in 2012. At the recent Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas, Kia announced that the all-new Rio 5-door will compete in the newly created B-Spec showroom stock series, while a tricked-out Optima Hybrid will serve as the USTCC's official safety car beginning in March 2012.

Race fans can follow Kia's motorsports program, including the development of the Optima race cars, and receive live updates from the track at www.facebook.com/kiaracing.

Design-Led Transformation and Product Line
Kia Motors has undergone a dramatic, design-led transformation, which has been delivering dynamically styled vehicles in several important segments at exactly the right time, contributing to the brand's continued gains in U.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and brand growth through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technology. Kia's commitment to the U.S. market is represented by its U.S.-based manufacturing facilities in West Point, Georgia - KMMG - which is responsible for the creation of more than 10,000 plant and supplier jobs and added the critically-acclaimed Optima midsize sedan1 to its production line in September. Kia's model year 2012 vehicle line includes the Sorento CUV, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Forte compact sedan, Forte 5-door compact hatchback, Forte Koup two-door coupe, all-new Rio and Rio 5-door sub-compacts and Sedona minivan.

About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 745 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner of the NBA." In 2010, KMA recorded its best-ever U.S. sales and 16th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle lineup is available at its website - www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com.

1 The Optima Hybrid will not be built at KMMG.

This blog courtesy of www.kiamedia.com for more information please visit the company website www.kia.com/#/motorsports/