Car Brands HQ - Learn about Kia

Kia began as a steel fabrication and bicycle manufacturer in the mid 1940s. Over the next few decades, the company began producing motor scooters and trucks. In 1974, Kia manufacturing facilities begin to produce vehicles for Fiat and Peugeot.

1991was a banner year for Kia, the company announced that it would enter the U.S. auto market with its own model, the Sophia, to be followed shortly thereafter by the Sportage, a compact sport SUV. That same year, Kia won the coveted Total Quality Control Grand Prize for Korea, the equivalent to the Malcolm Baldridge Award in the U.S. and the Deming Award in Japan. Sales of Kia vehicles have grown steadily since the introduction of the Sophia and Sportage in the early 1990s, along with awards from IntelliChoice and Four Wheeler magazine.

Kia didn’t rest on these laurels. In the 2000s, it introduced the Spectra5 sedan, the Rio sub-compact, the mid-sized Optima and the Sedona minivan, which earned a five star crash safety award. Kia has since expanded its full range of vehicles by adding the Sorento mid-size SUV and the Amanti full-size luxury sedan. Kia received awards from Consumers Digest, Edmunds.com and Kelly Blue Book. The company also began operation in its first U.S. manufacturing facility in 2010.

Kia Motors’ quality and designs continue to win over customers while garnering high praise from the automotive industry.