AUTOMOBILES

Kia Plunges In: Kia Motors America, the new Korean car importer with North American headquarters in Irvine, is tackling the opposition head-on.

One of its early commercials compares the company’s only U.S. car--the Sephia compact sedan--to the Honda Civic and suggests that the big difference is that the $8,995 Kia costs a lot less. A stripped four-door Civic starts at $11,750. That commercial has caused some complaints from commissioned sales people at the seven Honda dealerships that carry Kia as a secondary line. A manager at a San Francisco dealership told a trade magazine recently that customers often come in and tell the Honda sales agents they want to see the Kias.

Now Kia is tackling Chrysler Corp.’s vaunted Neon. A Chrysler billboard campaign earlier this year showed a front view of the new compact sedan with the legends “Say ‘Hi!’ to Neon.” Kia has just put up a series of billboards that feature a front view of the Sephia with the legend “Say ‘Bye!’ to Neon.”