Kia Motors said net profit quadrupled in the first quarter on stronger sales and equity gains from affiliated companies.
Kia, South Korea's second-largest automaker, earned 398.6 billion won (US$358 million) in the three months ended March 31, it said in a regulatory filing Friday. The company reported net profit of 97.4 billion won the same period last year.
The maker of the Forte small sedan and Sorento compact crossover SUV said sales during the quarter rose 39% to 4.86 trillion won from 3.5 trillion won a year earlier.
Kia, which exports 65% of its domestic production, is an affiliate of Hyundai Motor Co. Together they form the world's fifth-largest automotive group.
Global sales volume soared 69% to 474,625 vehicles, compared with 281,000 last year.
"First-quarter results improved thanks to an increase in sales volume and the effect from new models," Kia finance chief Lee Jae-rok said in a press release.
China sales soared 152, the company said.
Looking ahead, Lee said exchange rate uncertainty was a concern.
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