kia

A brief history about kia: Kia may sound light and playful, yet it belongs to a company built on persistence and reinvention. Since the beginning, its story has been defined by a single idea: the power to surprise.

Kia was founded in 1944 as a small manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycle parts. Six years later, it produced Korea’s first locally made bicycle, marking the start of a remarkable journey. Over the next two decades, the company moved from two wheels to four, developing scooters, motorcycles, and eventually automobiles.

In 1973, Kia opened the Sohari Plant, the first fully integrated car factory in Korea. It was here that the country’s first gasoline engine was developed and where the Brisa, Kia’s first passenger car, was built in 1974. The Brisa symbolized both national pride and the company’s growing technical strength.

Partnerships with automakers such as Peugeot and Fiat soon followed, leading Kia to assemble models like the Peugeot 604 and Fiat 132. During the 1980s, the company expanded rapidly and began exporting vehicles under different badges, including the Pride, known abroad as the Ford Festiva, and the Avella, marketed as the Ford Aspire.

Kia arrived in the United States in 1992 with just four dealerships and sold its first vehicles two years later. Growth was steady and driven by affordability, practicality, and a commitment to improving quality. The launch of the Sportage in 1995 introduced Kia to the growing SUV market and helped define its global direction.

The late 1990s brought financial challenges and a temporary slowdown in product development. In 1998, Hyundai acquired a major stake in Kia, bringing the two Korean manufacturers under the same group. The following decade became a time of renewal, focused on reliability, design, and long-term value.

From that foundation, Kia began to win over drivers around the world. Models such as the Rio, Sorento, and Cee’d established the brand as a serious contender in global markets. Today, Kia stands as a symbol of modern mobility and creative engineering, continuing a journey that began with steel and bicycles and evolved into a future defined by innovation and design.

Current Models

Browse through this kia’s current models below and explore their specifications