Kia Motors net profit slumps

South Korea's number two automaker, Kia Motors, on Friday said its fourth quarter net profit plunged by more than half due to a strong won and higher sales costs. Net profit for the October-December period slumped 54 percent compared to a year earlier to 436.2 billion won ($355 million). Operating profit also fell 23 percent to 500.6 billion won, while sales inched down 0.5 percent from the previous year to 11.7 trillion won.
"The business environment is expected to remain unfavourable this year," the company said, citing a strong won, China's economic slowdown, geopolitical risks in emerging markets and mounting competition. The company set a sales target of 3.15 million vehicles for 2015, up 3.6 percent from last year.