(April 3, 2012) Kia Motors America, the fastest growing car company in the United States, did not lose any momentum in March with an all-time monthly sales record of 57,505 sales, a 30.2 percent increase over March 2011.

Kia's historic March performance was driven by strong demand for the brand's two U.S.-built products, the Optima midsize sedan and Sorento CUV built at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, as well as the ongoing popularity of the Soul urban passenger vehicle. The Optima, Sorento and Soul accounted for 67.7-percent of sales in March.

Kia's U.S. sales are up 31.8 percent year-to-date. March marked the first time Kia topped 50,000 units in a single month and the brand's 19th straight monthly sales record. Vehicles that achieve more than 30 mpg accounted for more than 80 percent of sales in March.

"Kia has invested heavily in the U.S. market, and our record-breaking monthly performance demonstrates how far the brand has come in an extremely short period of time with consumers being drawn at an increasing rate to our unique value formula, which includes world-class design, outstanding fuel efficiency, premium features and cutting-edge technologies," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia.

"We are extremely proud that our U.S. assembly plant builds two of our best-selling vehicles, and collectively the Optima, Sorento and Soul demonstrate the powerful potential for the Kia brand with more new products and technologies set to arrive in the next 12 months."