SEOUL, April 29 (Reuters) - Kia Motors reported a 91 percent jump in quarterly net profit, driven by strong sales of its new models in the United States, China and South Korea and as the South Korean automaker largely escaped Japan's supply chain woes after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Kia, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor , on Friday reported a 953.2 billion won ($888 million) net profit for January-March, compared with 498.5 billion won a year ago.
From this year, Kia started to report earnings on a consolidated basis to reflect earnings of its affiliates including financial operations under new accounting rules, and there were no consensus guidelines for consolidates results.
Kia's operating profit also jumped 90 percent to 839.9 billion won in the first quarter from a year earlier, while its sales climbed 37 percent to 10.66 trillion won.
Shares in Kia have rallied in the past month, jumping 16 percent versus the broader market's 7 percent gain. ($1 = 1073.400 Korean Won) (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin)