The company opened its doors for the first time in December 1944as Kyungsung Precision Industry, and “Precision” was right. The company began making bicycle parts by hand in asmall factory in Young-deung-po, in the south of modern-day Seoul. From the outset, though, the seeds of innovation were being sown. In March 1952, the infant Kia built Korea's first domestic bicycle, the Samcholli-ho. The bicycle was actually built in a temporary factory in the southern port city of Busan, where the company had relocated after the outbreak of the Korean War.
With the introduction of the Samcholli-ho, the company changed its name to Kia Industrial Company. A decade later, in October 1961, Kia rolled out the C-100 motorcycle, and the Korean automotive industry was born. The pace of development was staggering. Only three months after producing Korea's first motorcycle, Kyungsung'sShiheungproduction line was building K360 three wheel trucks. Production of the three wheel trucks continued until 1973, by which time the company had sold 25,000 vehicles. Motorcycle production ended in 1981.
The Titan four-wheel truck, developed in 1971, was so ubiquitous that, in Korea, "Titan" became the generic name used for all trucks. But by this time, Kia had some competition. In 1967, Hyundai Motor Company began its business by producing vehicles under license from Ford; the HadongwhanBus Company, which would later become Ssangyong, was also making buses from U.S. Army components; and Asia Motors, which would later be taken over by Kia in 1976, began operations in 1965.
Kia, however, remained ahead of the pack. The company produced Korea's first petrol engine in 1973, and in October 1974, Korea's first passenger car, the Brisa. The Brisawould later be released as a pick-up truck to become the first Korean vehicle to be exported, when it was soldin the Middle East. Korea's first diesel engine was also produced by Kia in 1978.mp;D center, which was opened in October 1
It was in the late 1970’s that international manufacturers began to recognize Kia’s manufacturing expertise. By 1979, Kia was producing the Peugeot 604 and the Fiat 132 saloonsunder license. In 1986, under an equity partnership with Ford Motor Company, Kia began producing the Pride, or Festiva, small car. The Pride remains Kia’s best selling vehicle ever, with almost 2 million units sold.
Production of the Pride was carried out at Kia's first dedicatedR&a984 in Sohari, a town near Seoul. It has since been joined by two domestic and four overseas R&D centers. The first overseas R&D center was opened in Japan in 1989.
In the 1980’s, Kia increased production of small trucks to include the best selling Bongo, Rhino and Trade cargo vehicles. In the domestic market, Kia continues to dominate thecargo truck segment to this day. Production of passenger cars also continued with the development of Kia's first two-liter vehicle, the Concord, in 1987. By 1988, twenty-five years after the introduction of the K360, Kia produced its one millionth vehicle.
In 1990, the name of the company was officially changed to Kia Motors Corporation. The same year saw the completion of Kia's Hwasung production facility at AsanBay, south of Seoul. The plant is Kia's largest production facility, covering a total area of more than 3 million square meters. Also developed in 1990 was Kia's -and Korea’s -first 1.5 liter DOHC engine.
In 1992, Kia established its U.S. subsidiary, Kia Motors America, headquartered in Irvine, California. The United States has subsequently become Kia's single largest export market, with sales approaching a quarter of a million vehicles per year. Two R&D centers are also operating in the U.S., one in Los Angeles and another in Detroit.
European operations began in 1993 with the launch of the Sephia passenger car. That same year saw cumulative production pass 3 million units. Also introduced in 1993 was the Sportage SUV, completing a project that Kia began in the mid 1980’s. The Sportage was another very successful model overseas and would go on to record impressive results in the grueling Baja and Paris-Dakar rallies.
Recently, Kia has been a rising star on the global automotive stage. The booming popularity of Kia products has cemented the company’s position as one of the world’s fastest growing auto brands. To maintain its rise up the automotive ranks, Kia has expanded its global presence by establishing state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the world’s strategic automotive regions of Europe, the U.S. and China, while further strengthening Kia’s worldwide sales network. Meanwhile, Kia has also been boosting its presence in the world of sports by becoming the major sponsor of the Australian Tennis Open and official automotive partner of FIFA –the governing body of the FIFA World Cup –as well as a EUROTOP partner of UEFA.
