Kia Motors Corporation (KIΛ) — South Korean company, part of the Hyundai Motor Group. It has been producing cars since 1944 with a current production volume of more than 3 million units per year and is ranked seventh among automotive companies in the world.
The name «Kia» comes from the Sino-Korean characters «ki» (exit) and «a» (East Asia), which roughly translates to «exit Asia». The company's official slogan is «The Power to Surprise».
Initially, Kia produced steel pipes and parts for bicycles, and in 1951 released its own bicycle. Until 1952, the company was called Kyungsung Precision Industry, and then renamed Kia Industries. Since 1957, small motorcycles have been produced under license from Honda. Mazda has been producing trucks under license since 1962 and cars since 1974. In 1973, they built their own car manufacturing plant. And until the closure of 1981, it was mainly produced for light trucks, as well as licensed Fiat 132 and Peugeot 604.
In 1986, the company opened in partnership with Ford. Kia produced a number of Mazda vehicles. These models included the Kia Pride (based on the Mazda 121) and the Kia Avella, which were known in the US as the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire. During the Asian financial crisis of 1997, Kia filed for bankruptcy and in 1998, 51% of the company was acquired by Hyundai Motor Company, buying the stake from Ford Motor Company.
If you are a happy owner of a reliable and comfortable Kia car, then this site may be useful to you. Here you will find manuals for self-repair and maintenance, as well as instruction manuals for Kia vehicles.