Kia Motors
Kia Motors is a car manufacturer from South Korea, part of the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group since 1998. With 7.9 million vehicles sold, Hyundai / Kia is after Toyota ( 9.98 million ), Volkswagen ( 9.73 million ) and General Motors ( 9.71 million ), the fourth largest vehicle manufacturer in the world (as of 2013). The name is based on Kia Hanja: "ki" (起, Hangeul: 기 ) stands for ascending and "a" (亚, Hangeul: 아 ) for Asia.
History of the company
In 1944 the " Kyongseong Precision Industry " was founded, which established in 1952 in Korea under the new name " Kia Industry Company " bikes. 1961/62 Kia founded the Korean automotive industry with the construction of a motorcycle and a three-wheeled mini- truck. Almost ten years later became the first four-wheeled truck, the Titan Kia produced, which is still considered as a synonym of vice in Korea. Two years later, in 1973, the company went public. In the same year the first Kia built gasoline engine of Korea. Again, a year later, then ran the first Kia cars, the Kia Brisa, the band, whose pick-up version was the first Korean car exports.
In 1976, Kia 's competitors Asia Motors. Two years later, Kia also built the first Korean diesel engine. From 1979 to 1981, the models Peugeot 604 and Fiat 132 built for the Korean market under license.
In 1981 was made with a new management, the foundation stone for further growth into a global automotive manufacturers. The focus was initially placed on the vehicles - especially on the Kia Bongo. Investment and a license agreement with Mazda in 1983 also allowed resumes production of passenger cars. Along with Mazda and Ford of the top sellers was produced from 1986: The Kia Pride, which over two million copies sold. 1992 follows the expansion to America a year later to Germany. For Europe, the Kia Sportage between 1995 and 1998 was built by Karmann in Osnabrück.
1998 Kia gets because of the Asian financial crisis in receivership and is later taken little of the Hyundai Group. 2000 developed from the Hyundai Motor Group, which bears the name of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group since 2003. Since 1999, Kia back in the black. Together with Hyundai it increased in 2004 to seventh-largest automaker in the world.
Since September 2007, is the European headquarters of the company at the Theodor -Heuss -Allee in Frankfurt am Main in the immediate vicinity of the exhibition grounds. Designed to be the vehicles for the European market at the Development Center in Rüsselsheim ( joint development center of KIA and Hyundai ). Kia vehicles are produced in 15 plants in 10 countries (as of 31 December 2011).
Market position
Kia Motors sold about one-third of all of its vehicles in Korea and in the USA. Third largest decrease market for Kia vehicles is Europe, where vonstattengingen total of 12.3 % of all sales in 2008.
Timeline
Fiat produced under license identical in design or based on Mazda for Peugeot produced under license in the USA, Japan and Australia as Ford sells identical to Lotus Elan based on the same design or Hyundai in cooperation with Mitsubishi based on Suzuki and Daihatsu
Models
Microcars
Small cars
Compact class
Middle class
Upper middle class
SUV
SUVs
Roadster / Convertible
Van
Commercial Vehicles
Studies
Kia Sport (2004 )
Kia cee'd (2006)
Kia cee'd per (2006)
Kia Kee (2007)
- Kia KEV -4 ( 1995)
- Kia KMS -2 ( 1996)
- Kia Elan.eks (1999)
- Kia KMS -4 ( 1999)
- Kia Genesis (1999)
- Kia KCV -1 ( 2001)
- Kia KCD -1 Slice (2003)
- Kia KCV -III ( 2003)
- Kia KCV -IV Mojave (2004)
- Kia KCD - II Mesa ( 2005)
- Kia Multi S ( 2005)
- Kia Soul (2006)
- Kia Kue (2007)
- Kia ex_cee'd ( Geneva 2007)
- Kia Kee (Frankfurt 2007)
- Kia Soul Burner / Diva / Searcher ( Geneva, 2008 )
- Kia N ° 3 ( Geneva 2009 )
- Kia Pop ( Paris 2010)
- Kia GT (Frankfurt 2011)
- Kia Provo ( Geneva, 2013)
- Kia Niro (Frankfurt 2013)
Sponsoring
Since 2003, Kia carries out the Amateur Australian Open, Kia is also the main sponsor of the Australian Open ( tennis). Kia is also still sponsor of the football club Girondins Bordeaux and Atlético Madrid. From the 2007/2008 season is Kia main sponsor and namesake of all county leagues of the Hessian Football Association. 2007 Kia was the main sponsor of the World Handball Championship in Germany, also a sponsor, taking place in 2008 UEFA EURO 2008.