Where Does The Car Make Kia Originate From?

Today's Kia cars are the product of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group with headquarters at Seoul in South Korea. America is served by its subsidiary Kia Motors America, which was established at West Point, Georgia in 1992. This plant is having a capacity of approximately 300,000 vehicles per year. 'Ki' of Kia means arising and 'a' of Kia represents Asia. The collective meaning goes to something Rising Out of Asia. The Kia car manufacturing company is the oldest car making agency of South Korea and was established in 1944 in the name of Kyungsung Precision Industry and with the production capability for steel tubes and bicycles. Later on, in 1952, the company changed its name to Kia and slowly started to produce motorcycles, trucks and cars. Kia formed partnership with Ford and started manufacturing of Mazda for domestic and international markets.    The erstwhile Kia company was acquired by the South Korean auto giant Hyundai Motor Company in 1998 following Kia's bankruptcy in 1997. Gradually, Kia had overcome its financial crisis and presently it is one of the major players in the U.S. And U.K. Car market. Ultimately, Kia has emerged as one of the best-qualified brands in the J.D. Power and Associates report on vehicle dependability. Association with some high profile sport events, like Australian open tennis tournament, Kia has also contributed greatly towards achieving the financial success in the recent times.

Kia has a very fascinating history that most people don't even know about. Kia is originally a South Korean company, and it started off in 1944 with the name Kyungsung Precision Industry, which manufactured steel tubing and bicycle parts. However, roughly 10 years down the line, the company changed its name to Kia, and expanded into the motorcycle and car/truck manufacturing industry.

The word 'Kia', is derived from 'Ki' and 'a'. 'Ki' means 'upcoming' or 'rising', and the 'a' means Asia. So in total, the company name means something like 'rising from Asia'.

Kia motor company expanded into America in the early 1990s, right after joining hands with the huge car company, Ford, and since then has become a major player in the vehicle industry there. Unfortunately, in 1997, Kia went bankrupt, due to the Asian financial crisis. This led to a bidding war between Ford and Hyundai for the company in 1998. Hyundai triumphed in the end and acquired Kia.

Under the careful planning of Hyundai, Kia once again began expanding into the market and has returned an important motor company. Currently, Kia is also ranked one of the fastest growing motor companies in Europe and the United Kingdom. By its rise, fall, and rise once again, Kia has definitely lived up to its name.