Kia Motors rolls out Forte Koup compact car

By Kim Deok-hyun
SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) -- Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest
carmaker, Thursday began selling the Forte Koup compact car as it looks for ways
to boost fragile demand at home and overseas.

Kia, a unit of Hyundai Motor Co., expects to sell 35,000 of the sportier Koup a
year, including exports of 25,000 vehicles, company officials said.
The four-door Koup, priced from 15.4 million won (US$12,300) to 19.6 million won
in South Korea, comes with either a 1.6-liter or a 2-liter gasoline engine. The
2-liter engine is capable of producing 158 horsepower at its peak.
Seo Young-jong, president of Kia, called the Koup a "new icon" of the company
which aims to raise its brand awareness with stylish designs.
"The Forte Koup is expected to help Kia transform itself into a world class
carmaker," Seo said at a ceremony to unveil the new model.
Kia plans to release the new model in the U.S. market in the second-half of this
year, Seo said.
The Koup is the latest model designed by Kia's chief designer Peter Schreyer, who
was hired by the South Korean company about three years ago from Volkswagen AG.
At the German carmaker, Schreyer gained his reputation for designing the TT
roadster and the 1997 Audi A6 sedan.
Previously, Kia said it expected 2009 sales to match last year's sales of 1.4
million vehicles.
In the first five months of this year, Kia's sales fell 11.6 percent from the
same period last year to 521,324 units.
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