Kia appoints new Australian chief

KIA Motors Australia has appointed Min Kun (MK) Kim as its new president and chief executive officer.

Replacing Terry (Tak Uk) Im, who has been promoted president and CEO of Kia Motors in Russia, Mr Kim has more than 23 years’ experience in the automotive industry.

Most recently he served as Western Europe director in the international business division at Kia Motors’ headquarters in Seoul, South Korea.

He also has experience with the company’s export operations division in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Pacific regions.

Mr Im served in Australia for 13 months, replacing SK Lee in December 2008.

Mr Kim arrives as Kia looks to continue growing its brand in Australia.

While it remains in the shadow of sister brand Hyundai, Kia again sold almost 20,000 new vehicles in Australia last year, falling just 1.3 per cent on its 2008 sales volume during the economic downturn for a total of 19,407 units.

New arrivals in 2010 include the Cerato hatchback (due this month), the third-generation Sportage compact SUV and the redesigned Magentis mid-sized sedan.