Kia has hit the half million export cars mark in 12 months for the first time with a Kia Optima leaving Korea for the USA on 17 December as its 500,000th export in 2003.

The 2004 Optima rolled onto a container ship at Kia's Pyongtaek facility as part of a shipment of 2,000 vehicles bound for Jacksonville and Baltimore in the USA. It is the first time in Kia's history that annual shipments of built-up vehicles have exceeded the half million mark.  2002 saw exports reach 449,824 built up units.  The target for 2003 is 537,029, generating revenues of US$6 billion.

In 2004, Kia expects to ship 680,000 built-up cars generating revenues of more than US$7 billion.  By 2006 the company expects to pass the one million mark (annually) in export shipments with revenues exceeding US$11 billion.

Kia Motors maintains two shipping facilities, one at Pyongtaek on the east coast of the Korean peninsula, the other at Kunsan a little further south. The two facilities load up to 4,500 cars daily onto a fleet of roll-on roll-off transport ships operated by Eucor, delivering Kia vehicles around the world. In addition to built up vehicles, Kia Motors also has a successful knockdown programme that, in 2003, will ship 190,000 kits to overseas assembly plants.