Kia Canada Inc. reports strong August sales and welcomes Mr. Sungwon Kwon as new President & CEO

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Sept. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kia Canada Inc. today welcomes Mr. Sungwon Kwon as the organization's new President & CEO, effective August 1, 2019. Mr. Kwon joins Kia Canada from his previous role with the Americas Group at Kia Motors Coporation in Korea. As a member of the organization since 1995, Mr. Kwon has a wealth of experience in all aspects of the businesses and many areas of the world.

Mr. Kwon takes over from Mr. Kyle Lee who is leaving Kia Canada Inc. to take on the role of President and CEO of Kia Motors Central & South America Headquarters (KMCSA). During his time in Canada, Kia has become one of the few brands enjoying year-over-year sales increases and has continued to show more Canadians the ?Power to Surprise.'

"On behalf of our entire organization and dealers across the country, I would like to thank Mr. Lee for this tremendous efforts and leadership here in Canada and wish him luck in his new role," said Elias El-Achhab, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Kia Canada Inc. "As a young brand celebrating just our twentieth year in Canada, we have come a long way in recent years and are we are thrilled to welcome Mr. Kwon to the team and know that his experience and expertise will help us ensure that our product offering matches the demand of Canadian consumers. After a strong summer and a fantastic August, Mr. Kwon's leadership comes at the perfect time as we work to ensure that we keep the momentum going into the fourth quarter and 2020."

Strong August sales, led by Forte, Sorento and Sportage

Kia Canada Inc. reported today 7,640 total vehicles sold for the month of August, a 3 per cent increase versus the same time period in 2018.  August's results were led by Forte (1,726 units), Sorento (1,406 units) and Sportage (1,336 units), representing 40.8, 15.8 and 3.9 per cent year-over-year increases respectively. August also represented a strong month for Kia's two electric vehicles, the Kia Niro and Kia Soul, with 244 units sold with zero emissions.

More information on Kia and its Canadian lineup of vehicles can be  found at KiaMedia.ca.

About Kia Canada Inc.

Kia Canada Inc. (KCI), established in 1999 and celebrating 20 years in Canada, is a subsidiary of Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) based in Seoul, South Korea. Kia's full line of award-winning vehicles offers world-class quality and customer satisfaction through a network of 198 dealers nationwide. The company employs 170 people in its Mississauga, Ontario headquarters, various locations across Canada and at its regional office in Montreal, Quebec. Kia's brand slogan "The Power to Surprise" represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation. From compact to crossover to industry leading EV's, every Kia delivers an extraordinary combination of precision engineering, outstanding performance, innovative features, and advanced safety systems. Having sold close to one million vehicles, popular Canadian models include Soul, Forte, Sportage, Sorento and Stinger. To learn more about the Kia advantage, visit kia.ca or Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Media Contacts:
Mark James
Corporate Communications Manager, Kia Canada Inc.
T 905-755-6251, E [email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/95ed7f18-ad55-4d38-a011-6b22af0fb118