Vice Chairman at Kia Resigns Following Recalls

The vice chairman of the Kia Motors Corp., Chung Sung-eun, stepped down on Sept. 3 after recalls involving scores of vehicles worldwide for electrical problems, reported The New York Times.

President Lee Hyoung-keun will replace him, a Kia spokesman, Michael Choo, said Tuesday.

“The resignation came on the heels of recently announced recalls,” Choo said.

In light of the Toyota Motor Corp.’s prominent quality problems in the last year involving 10 million vehicles, Kia has acted properly and expeditiously, said George Magliano, director of automotive research at IHS Global Insight.

“I think they’ve make a darned good statement about how that company has changed,” Magliano said. “Both Hyundai and Kia have made concerted efforts to upgrade their products and the quality of products. They’re no longer content to be the low-cost guy on the block, and it shows.”

Kia, an affiliate of the Hyundai Motor Company, is recalling nearly 86,000 vehicles globally, plus 18,147 sold in China. The problem was faulty interior lighting that could cause fires, according to a filing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. There have been no reported accidents or injuries.

Excluding China sales, the recalls include 69,000 Soul compacts and Sorento sport utility vehicles — both new products sold in the United States. Some 16,900 Mohave S.U.V.s and Cadenza sedans have also been recalled. The vehicles were made between last September and July, Choo said. The Soul was also recently called back for a steering issue.

Chung, a former Kia president, oversaw Kia’s production division.

Kia’s stock price fell 0.2 percent in Tuesday trading. The company produces vehicles in South Korea and at plants abroad, including one in West Point, Ga.

Compared with the period a year earlier, global Kia sales from January through July are up 32.8 percent, and up 16.5 percent in North America, Choo said.