Over the last two decades, Kia Motors America (KMA) has experienced unprecedented growth, due in part to an aggressive new vehicle launch cadence – 16 new or significantly redesigned cars and CUVs in the last five years alone – and 2013 served as an important transitional year that saw the brand continue to develop and mature. In addition to delivering seven all-new or significantly refreshed vehicles in 2013, Kia also continued several high-profile strategic partnerships and received more industry awards and accolades than ever before. Kia begins 2014 as the seventh largest brand in the U.S. by volume and looking back on its second consecutive year of more than half a million total sales. The U.S.-built* Optima was Kia's best-selling vehicle for the second straight year and set an all-time single nameplate annual sales record for Kia with more than 155,000 units sold.

Kia has been one of the industry's most improved brands when it comes to vehicle quality, and that trend continued in 2013 as the company achieved its first-ever top ten ranking in the J.D. Power 2013 U.S. Initial Quality Studysm (IQS). Additional honors included a move up Interbrand's Top 100 Best Global Brands list as well as being named one of Interbrand's Best Global Green Brands; Sorento and Optima being named to Kelley Blue Book's "10 Best Under $25,000" lists in their respective segments; Soul ranking best-in-segment in the J.D. Power 2013 (IQS) for the second consecutive year; and the Cadenza and Forte sedans becoming the first Kia vehicles to win major auto enthusiast magazine comparison tests.