Kia Motor Corporation – 75+ Years of Excellence in Automobile Industry!
Kia Motor Corporation – 75+ Years of Excellence in Automobile Industry!
Kia Motor Corporation, also known as Kia Motors, is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world. Selling millions of vehicles every year, the company has managed to emerge as one of the most trusted brands in the globe. In today’s post, we are going to shed some light on how the company came into existence, and everything that makes it the global automobile brand that it is today.
So, without wasting any time, let us start.
Rising from the East
The company was founded in the year 1944, under the name of Kyungsung Precision Industry, which initially dealt in manufacturing of bicycle parts as well as steel tubing. In the year 1952, however, the company changed its name to KIA Motors, and started manufacturing Honda-licensed motorcycles by the year 1957. KIA, in Korean, roughly translates to Rising from the east, since the company’s country of origin is South Korea. From then to now, the company has managed to become the second highest producer of automobiles in South Korea, behind only Hyundai Motors.
The Evolution
Since its inception, the company has grown in stature with every passing year. In fact, if we look at the recent statistics, the company managed to earn the ranking of number one in terms of reliability by the J.D. Power Associates, USA. This made the company the first non-luxury automobile manufacturer to earn the stature after 1989. Looking at these statistics, it is quite evident that Kia Motors is truly growing into an international brand.
Affiliations with Other Companies
In the year 1992, the company incorporated in California, under the name KIA Motors America, Inc. This became the arm of the company that dealt with Sales, Marketing and Distribution in America. If we look at the company’s affiliation with other automobile manufacturers, we get to see that Hyundai Motor Company is the biggest investor, holding a 33.88% stake in Kia Motors.
At the same time, Kia Motors also holds share in 22 of the companies owned by Hyundai Motors, and these shares range from 2.9% to 45.37%. Apart from these associations, the company has been focusing on expanding its name in the European Market for quite a while now.
Kia Motors Europe, which is the sales and marketing division of the company in Europe, has been in the field for close to three decades now, selling vehicles sine 1991. Moreover, the company has recently shifted its focus in growing economies like India, where it enter the market in 2019 with its SUV – Kia Seltos. The company has managed to gain huge success in India within such a short time span.
Kia Defense
Moving from automobile manufacturing, the company also deals in production of military grade vehicles and transportation equipment. It has been working with the South Korean Government since 1976, and designs the likes of Kaiser Jeep M715-type vehicles for the military.
Conclusion
As you can see, the company started small from manufacturing bicycle tubes and parts. However, over the years it has managed to grow into one of the leading automobile companies not just in South Korea, but across the globe.
If you have any questions, doubts or queries regarding the company, or just want to know more about the company, you can visit here.
