Kia Soul awarded to FIFA Interactive World Cup tournament winner in Spain

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2009-05-04 09:09

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Seoul--(뉴스와이어)--Kia Motors proudly presented one of its new Kia Soul urban crossover passenger vehicles to France’s Bruce Grannec, 22, winner of the FIFA Interactive World Cup final in Barcelona, Spain. Grannec beat more than 530,000 online gamers and football enthusiasts from 52 countries around the world to compete in this weekend’s final. In addition, he takes home USD 20,000, an invitation to the FIFA World Player Gala 2010 and a brand new Kia Soul.

The Grand Final, which took place next to the beach in Barcelona, was a memorable football party for the 20,000 people in attendance. The final was free to the public and featured mini beach soccer tournaments and thumping DJ beats which enhanced the festive experience for the many Gen-Y’ers taking part.

“Our new Kia Soul truly speaks to the hearts and minds of a young-at-heart audience,” said Hyoung-Keun Lee, Senior Executive Vice President and COO of the International Business Division, Kia Motors Corporation. “Participating in this on-and-offline tournament in conjunction with FIFA was a great opportunity to showcase the Soul and its customizable options for tech-savvy, individually-minded drivers. They can truly appreciate what this car, and our brand, has to offer.”

Since October 2008, Kia has sponsored qualifying offline tournaments in South Africa and Italy for the FIFA Interactive World Cup 2009. During the tournaments, Soul related memorabilia was distributed to increase brand awareness. As the official automotive sponsor, 11 Kia vehicles were used during the final tournament for members of the press and other VIP guests in Barcelona.

"With more than half a million on-and-offline participants, the FIFA Interactive World Cup has set new records and I am really impressed with how fast this tournament has grown," says FIFA Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer, who attended the Grand Final in Barcelona. “Kia has certainly contributed to that growth and everyone is enjoying the benefits of this partnership.”

The cooperative partnership between FIFA and Kia Motors began in 2007, when Kia became the association’s official automotive partner. As part of that partnership, support of the FIFA Interactive World Cup in 2008 was an additional opportunity for Kia Motors. Kia Motors will continue its FIFA partnership for the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™ in South Africa.

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Kia Motors Corporation (www.kia.com) -- a maker of quality vehicles for the young-at-heart -- was founded in 1944 and is Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles. As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, Kia aims to become one of the world's premier automotive brands. Nearly 1.5 million vehicles a year are produced in 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 172 countries. Kia today has over 40,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of over US$14.5 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Open and an official automotive partner of FIFA -- the governing body of the FIFA World Cup -- as well as a EUROTOP partner of UEFA. Kia Motors Corporation's brand slogan -- "The Power to Surprise" -- represents the company's global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through continuous automotive innovation.

About FIFA

For more than 100 years, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, founded on 21 May 1904 in Paris and better known as FIFA, has continued to provide the essential leadership role to the international football family. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the eighth FIFA President, Joseph S. Blatter (Switzerland), guides the organization today with a commitment to the evolution of FIFA as a modern and dynamic association. To stay updated on FIFA’s events including the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup™, please click on www.FIFA.com.

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