Kia sales in Europe last month reached new record high levels for that month, with a total of 19,462 vehicles delivered -128% higher than sales in November 2003 - in what is often regarded as a 'quiet' month for new car sales.

This latest record result pushes Kia's year-to-date accumulated sales for 11 months to 161,825 units, 46% higher than sales over the same period last year - maintaining Kia's position as Europe's fastest growing automotive brand.

The sparkling appeal of Kia's all-new Picanto small car is attracting ever increasing numbers of customers to Kia showrooms. Last month, 9,411 Picantos were delivered, bringing Picanto sales since the A-segment model's launch just seven months ago to over 45,400 units.

Kia's two other new-for-2004 models, the C-segment Cerato and new Sportage compact SUV, are both selling strongly. Popular older models are maintaining their customer appeal and sales of the 4X4 Sorento are up by 39% and the Carens MPV by 16%, compared to 2003.

The leading markets for Kia across Europe, with monthly sales of more than 3,000 units each, continue to be Germany, Spain and the UK, with Spain setting a record-breaking high of 3,804 sales last month.

"Our new-for-2004 Kia products, the Picanto, Cerato and Sportage, are designed to appeal to European motorists - and they are doing that most successfully," commented Jean Charles Lievens, vice-president Kia Motors Europe.

"The latest sales record for the month of November is a great endorsement of our products and the marketing endeavours of our expanding dealer network."

Early this year, Kia's monthly sales in Europe set an all-time high record during September, with a total of 20,048 cars delivered to customers across the region.

It was the first time that monthly sales had exceeded 20,000 units and represented a 62% rise over sales in September 2003.