Kia Motors
Kia Motors was founded in 1944 as Kyungsung Precision Industry making bicycle parts by hand. The company was originally located in Seoul, but moved to Pusan during the Korean War. While in Pusan, Kia produced Korea’s first bicycle and took its current name in 1951.

Kia Motors In 1961 Kia produced Korea’s first motorcycle and in 1962, the country’s first truck – the 3-wheel K360. Kia also produced Korea’s first gasoline engine in 1973 and, in October 1974, Korea’s first passenger car – the Brisa. The Brisa became the first Korean vehicle to be exported, when it was sold in the Middle East. Korea’s first diesel engine was also produced by Kia, in 1978.

Kia continued to compete in the automotive industry until 1997, when it fell victim to the Asian financial crisis of that year and was taken over by the Hyundai Business Group the following year. The Hyundai Automotive Group was founded in 2000 and Kia and Hyundai Motor Company became sister companies along with parts supplier Hyundai Mobis and a number of other companies. Kia is currently Korea’s second largest manufacturer and its oldest.

Kia has three production centers in Korea: Hwasung, which has an annual production of 600,000 units; Sohari, which produces 340,000 units; and Kwangju, which manufactures 210,000 commercial vehicles every year. In addition, the company has six R&D centers in Korea with three operational hubs in Namyang, Sohari and Ulsan.

Overseas, Kia has 7 subsidiaries and a distributor network covering around 160 countries. A further 6 subsidiaries will be added by the end of 2002. The company also maintains two R&D centers in the United States, one in Germany and one in Japan.

Kia was taken over by the Hyundai Business Group in 1998. When Hyundai Motor Company spun off from the group in 2000, Chairman Chung Mong-Koo formed the Hyundai Automotive Group, which comprises Kia Motors Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Mobis (a parts supplier) and 19 other companies all related to the Group’s core business.

Kia Motors Corporation and Hyundai Motor Company operate as separate companies in the marketplace. However, the two companies share R&D facilities and parts distribution networks. At the manufacturing end, Kia and Hyundai are benefiting from increased use of shared platforms, transmissions and engines. By 2008, the number of platforms will be reduced from 23 to 6. The two companies will also have 13 different motors at their disposal.

You can find out more about Kia at http://www.kiamotors.com