Kia Motors America is definitely on a roll.  Experian, a leading global information services company,  recently released a report on automotive brand loyalty, which noted during the second quarter of 2011, 47.9 percent of the 54,268 Kia owners that returned to the marketplace purchased another Kia vehicle. Experian also reported that the Kia Forte compact sedan received the highest loyalty ranking of any vehicle with 67.7 percent, while the popular Soul urban passenger vehicle and Forte Koup two-door landed not far behind with 59.3 percent and 56.4 percent rankings, respectively.
  "Our design-led transformation has delivered nine new vehicles in less than three years and we are not only seeing more and more new consumers come into Kia showrooms but also a sharp increase in owners returning and purchasing another Kia vehicle," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing & communications, KMA. 
 "Customers are recognizing Kia vehicles as smart purchases and understand that you don't have to sacrifice performance or styling in order to get impressive fuel efficiency or the latest technologies at a low starting price.  As our residual values continue to outpace the industry, Kia's value proposition is all the more powerful."
  Experian Automotive leverages its North American Vehicle Database to track vehicle ownership and purchase activity. 
Design-Led Transformation and Product Line
  Sprague said Kia Motors' design-led transformation, which has been delivering dynamically styled vehicles in several important segments has come at exactly the right time, contributing to the brand's continued gains in U.S. market share. Kia has already sold more vehicles this year than it did in 2010 and is poised to continue its momentum, he said.  During September, Kia's also added production the critically acclaimed Optima midsize sedan  to the model mix at its assembly plant in West Point, Ga.. for the first time. By Joseph Szczesny