South Korean car manufacturer Kia Motors Corporation, is South Korea's second-largest automobile producer, behind Hyundai Motor Company. The company was first founded on 9th June 1944 which makes Kia the oldest car company in South Korea. It was started as a manufacturer of bicycle parts. In 1951, they started to make complete bicycles, before changing its name from Kyungsung Precision Industry to Kia, and started producing motorcycles in 1957, then trucks in 1962, and then finally cars in 1974.
The name Kia comes from the Sino-Korean words 'ki' and 'a'. Together, these words roughly translate to “Rise out of Asia”.
The recent worldwide financial crisis hasn't affected Kia's profits too much, and in 2012 Kia Motors sold an incredible 1.6 million automobiles in South Korea during the fiscal year. In recent years, Kia have been stepping up their efforts to tap into the European market, with early indictions showing that they are making great strides.
The company's slogan is The Power to Surprise, and it may surprise you to learn that since 1976, Kia have been making military grade vehicles to supply to the South Korean Army.