Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean
multinational automobile manufacturer
The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...
headquartered in
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, South Korea. It is South Korea's second largest automobile manufacturer, after its parent company,
Hyundai Motor Company
Hyundai Motor Company, often abbreviated to Hyundai Motors ( )
and commonly known as Hyundai (, ; ), is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and founded in 1967. Currently, the company o ...
, with sales of over 2.8 million vehicles in 2019. the Kia Corporation is minority owned by Hyundai, which holds a 33.88% stake valued at just over US$6 billion. Kia in turn is a minority owner of more than twenty Hyundai subsidiaries ranging from 4.9% up to 45.37%, totaling more than US$8.3 billion.
Etymology
According to the company, the name "Kia" derives from the Sino-Korean characters (, 'to arise') and (, which stands for
亞細亞, meaning 'Asia'); it is roughly translated as "Rising from (
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
) Asia."
History
Origins and early expansion
Kia was founded on June 9, 1944, as Kyungsung Precision Industry, a manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycle parts, eventually producing Korea's first domestic bicycle, the Samchully, in 1951.
In 1952, Kyungsung Precision Industry changed its name to Kia Industries, and later built
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
-licensed small motorcycles (starting in 1957) and
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
-licensed trucks (1962) and cars (1974). The company opened its first integrated automotive assembly plant in 1973, the
Sohari Plant.
Kia built the small Mazda-based
Brisa range of cars until 1981, when production came to an end after the new military dictator
Chun Doo-hwan
Chun Doo-hwan (; or ; 18 January 1931 – 23 November 2021) was a South Korean Republic of Korea Army, army general and military dictator who ruled as an unelected Political strongman, strongman from 1979 to 1980 before replacing Choi Kyu-hah ...
enforced industry consolidation. This forced Kia to give up passenger cars and focus entirely on light trucks.
Kia assembled a few hundred more cars in 1982 and 1983, after the ban had taken effect, but no passenger cars were built in 1984 and 1985.
Prior to the forced 1981 shutdown, Kia had rounded out its passenger car lineup with two other foreign models assembled under license: the
Fiat 132
The Fiat 132 is a large family car produced by the Italian automobile company Fiat from 1972 to 1981. An updated version of the 132, called the Argenta, was produced from 1981 to 1985.
Fiat 132 (1972–74)
The 132 was introduced as a replacemen ...
and the
Peugeot 604
The Peugeot 604 is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1975 to 1985. 153,252 cars were sold during its 10-year production life. It was made in France and also assembled by Kia in South Korea.
The Pininfarina-designed ...
.
The import of these
knock-down kits
A knock-down kit (also knockdown kit, knocked-down kit, or simply knockdown or KD) is a collection of parts required to assemble a product. The parts are typically manufactured in one country or region, then exported to another country or region ...
was permitted as long as Kia exported five cars for every single Fiat or Peugeot brought in (Hyundai had to meet the same requirement).
Starting in 1986 (when only 26 cars were manufactured, followed by over 95,000 the next year),
Kia rejoined the automobile industry in partnership with
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
. Kia produced several Mazda-derived vehicles for both domestic sales in South Korea and for export into other countries - where they were positioned at the budget end of the market. These models included the
Kia Pride The Kia Pride is a subcompact car sold by the South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia Motors between March 1987 and January 2000, and again since September 2011. Between April 2005 and September 2011 the Kia New Pride had been sold.
Original model ...
, based on the
Mazda 121
The Mazda 121 name has been used on a variety of Mazda automobiles for various export markets from 1975 until 2002:
* 1975–1981 — Piston engined variants of the second generation Mazda Cosmo sports car
* 1986–1991 — First ...
and the
Avella
Avella is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy.
Etymology
Could be related to the Indo-European root ''*h₂ebōl, *h₂ebl'' (apple), meaning "place where apple-orchards originated" (read below).
Hist ...
, which were sold in North America and
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
as the
Ford Festiva
The Ford Festiva is a subcompact car that was designed and manufactured by Mazda for Ford between 1986 and 2002. Festiva was sold in Japan, the Americas, and Australia. The name "Festiva" is derived from the Spanish word for " festive". It was not ...
and
Ford Aspire The Ford Aspire nameplate has been used by the American automobile manufacturer Ford for the following cars, in the following markets:
* Ford Festiva, in North America from 1993 to 1997
* The sedan version of the Ford Figo
The Ford Figo is a sub ...
. In 1992, Kia Motors America was incorporated in the United States. The first Kia-branded vehicles in the United States were sold from four dealerships in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
, in 1992. Since then, Kia methodically expanded one region at a time. Dealers in 1994 sold the
Sephia and a few years later the United States segment expanded their line with the
Sportage. Over one hundred Kia dealerships existed across thirty states by 1995, selling a record 24,740 automobiles.
Hyundai Motor Company takeover
Kia declared bankruptcy in 1997, during the
Asian financial crisis
The Asian financial crisis was a period of financial crisis that gripped much of East Asia and Southeast Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown due to financial contagion. However, the recovery in 1998–1 ...
, and in 1998 reached an agreement with
Hyundai Motor Company
Hyundai Motor Company, often abbreviated to Hyundai Motors ( )
and commonly known as Hyundai (, ; ), is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and founded in 1967. Currently, the company o ...
to diversify by exchanging ownership between the two companies. Hyundai Motor Company acquired 51% of the company, outbidding
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
, which had owned an interest in Kia Motors since 1986. After subsequent divestments, Hyundai Motor Company owns about one third of Kia Motor Corporation. While Hyundai Motor Company remains Kia's largest stakeholder, Kia Motor Company also retains ownership in some 22 Hyundai Motor Company subsidiaries. Since 2005, Kia has focused on the European market and has identified design as its "core future growth engine"—leading to the hiring of
Peter Schreyer
Peter Schreyer (born 1953) is a German automobile designer widely known for his design contributions to the Audi TT. He has been the chief design officer at Kia Motors since 2006 and, on 28 December 2012, he was named one of three presidents of ...
in 2006 as chief design officer
and his subsequent creation of a new corporate grille known as the 'Tiger Nose'.
In October 2006, Kia Motors America broke ground for
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia
South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia maintains 14 manufacturing facilities in eight countries along with research centres in South Korea, the US, Japan, and Germany. Kia has four manufacturing plants in South Korea and additional plants in C ...
in
West Point, Georgia
West Point is a city in Troup County, Georgia, Troup and Harris County, Georgia, Harris counties in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is located approximately halfway between Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, Alabama and Atlanta ...
, representing a US$1 billion investment for the company. Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia opened in February 2010, after Kia recorded its 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. In August 2014, the company received international attention when
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
rode in one of their
compact car
Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...
s, the
Kia Soul
The Kia Soul is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed worldwide by Kia, currently in its third generation.
Designed at Kia's design center in California, the Soul debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show and is manufactured in South Ko ...
, during a five-day visit to South Korea. The Kia Soul drew bigger attention than two other vehicles used by the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
, their
Kia Carnival
The Kia Carnival ( ko, 기아 카니발) is a minivan manufactured by Kia since 1998. It is marketed globally under various nameplates — prominently as the Kia Sedona — which is now unused in favor of the Carnival.
The first generati ...
and Hyundai's
Santa Fe, because it appeared in the high-profile welcoming ceremony of his arrival at the Seoul Airport on August 14. In 2016, Kia Motors model reliability was ranked first in the United States by
J.D. Power and Associates
J.D. Power is an American consumer research, data, and analytics firm based in Troy, Michigan. The company was founded in 1968 by James David Power III. It conducts surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality, and buyer behavior for the aut ...
, becoming the first non-luxury automaker since 1989 to top that list.
Kia started using an angular "KIA" wordmark logo in early 2021.
The logo uses an "I" and an oblique "A" without a crossbar immediately next to each other, which some consumers have misread as "KN".
Board of Directors
As of January 2021:
*
Chung Eui-sun
Chung Eui-sun (born 18 October 1970), also spelled Euisun Chung, is a South Korean billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of Hyundai Motor Group and the only son and "heir apparent" of Hyundai Motor Group honorary chairman Chung Mong-koo.
...
, Chairman of
Hyundai Motor Group
The Hyundai Motor Group (HMG; ; ; stylized as HYUΠDAI) is a South Korean '' chaebol'' (loosely similar to a multinational conglomerate but without a central holding company or ownership structure) headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
The HM ...
* Song Ho-sung, President and CEO of Kia Corporation
* Jun-Young Choi, Executive Vice President of Kia Corporation
* Woo-Jeong Joo, Executive Vice President & CFO of Kia Corporation
* Sang-Koo Nam, Professor of Business Administration at
Gachon University
Gachon University is an academic institute located in South Korea. The current structure of Gachon university is the result of a merger between four existing universities. Gachon University of Medicine and Science and Gachon-gil College merged ...
* Chol-Su Han, Advisor at Yoon & Yang Law Firm
* Duk-Joong Kim, Advisor at Yoon & Yang Law Firm
* Dong-One Kim, Professor of Business School at
Korea University
Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities.
The ...
* Wha-Sun Jho, full-time member of the policy department of the Korea Academy of Science and Technology and Professor of Political Science and Diplomacy at
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...
Affiliates and subsidiaries
Hyundai Motor Company
, the Hyundai Motor Company owns a 33.88% stake in Kia Motors.
Likewise, as of December 31, 2015, Kia Motors is a part owner of 22 Hyundai companies. Its ownership percentages range from 4.9% to 45.37%.
Kia America
![2020 Kia Telluride front view (United States)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/2020_Kia_Telluride_front_view_%28United_States%29.png)
Kia America, Inc. was incorporated in California on October 21, 1992, and became the American sales, marketing, and distribution arm of Kia Corporation. KMA is based in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...
, and currently offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 755 dealers throughout the United States. The first two models that were introduced to the U.S. market in 1993 were
KIA Sephia and
Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage is a lineup of sport utility vehicles manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 1993. Since 2004, the Sportage has been categorized as a compact crossover SUV, while previously it occupied the compact SUV class. It ...
4x4. In the United States, sales began in late 1993 for the 1994 model year. The two models most recently introduced to the U.S. market have both been highly awarded during the short time since their launch: the 2018 Stinger performance sedan gained recognition with J.D. Power's inaugural ''Engineering Award for Highest Rated All-New Vehicle'' as well as Business Insider's ''Car of the Year Award'', then the 2020 Telluride made its mark several times over by winning major awards from review organizations like Kelley Blue Book, MotorTrend, Hispanic Motor Press (www.hispanicmotorpress.org) also awarded the Telluride as the best SUV for 2020, and most recently Edmunds.
As a brand, KMA has continued to improve over the years as well; in 2013, Kia Motors America recorded its 18th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share, and for the past five consecutive years (2015-2019) it has been recognized by J.D. Power as the highest ranked mass market brand in initial quality.
In November 2009, Kia started production at the first U.S. Kia Motors plant,
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia
South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia maintains 14 manufacturing facilities in eight countries along with research centres in South Korea, the US, Japan, and Germany. Kia has four manufacturing plants in South Korea and additional plants in C ...
, in
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
. Though the Kia Sorento crossover vehicle was the only model to be assembled there at first, the facility has since expanded its production lines to include the Kia Optima mid-size sedan, now sold as the K5, in 2011 and the just-launched Kia Telluride crossover SUV in January 2019. As of September 2019, the location has successfully built over 3 million units of these three models altogether, and shortly after celebrated another milestone by reaching its 10th year of production in November 2019. Currently, the facility has a production capacity of 340,000 vehicles per year (largely dedicated to the Telluride and Sorento crossover SUVs) and is responsible for distributing them to hundreds of dealerships in the US and Canada, as well as fulfilling shipments across North America and even overseas.
Kia Central & South America Corp.
Kia Central & South America Corp. is an incorporated division of Kia Corporation in charge of sales and marketing in 43 countries across Central and South America (including Brazil), and the Caribbean. The regional headquarters is located in Miami, Florida (US).
Kia Europe
Kia Europe is the European sales and marketing division of Kia Corporation. It has been selling cars in Europe since the first half of 1991.
In 2007, KME moved from its previous location at Hauptstrasse 185,
Eschborn
Eschborn () is a town in the Main-Taunus district, Hesse, Germany. It is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area and has a population of 21,488 (2018). Eschborn is home to numerous corporations due to its proximity to Frankfurt and relatively ...
(near
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
), to a new purpose-built facility adjacent to the
Messe, in Frankfurt city centre.
When Kia launched in Europe during 1991, it initially sold only the
Pride
Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...
supermini—a rebadged version of the late 1980s
Mazda 121
The Mazda 121 name has been used on a variety of Mazda automobiles for various export markets from 1975 until 2002:
* 1975–1981 — Piston engined variants of the second generation Mazda Cosmo sports car
* 1986–1991 — First ...
. It initially proved popular with buyers. By the end of 1991, Kia had sold nearly 1,800 Prides in the United Kingdom. The first full year, 1992, saw that figure double, and, in 1993, it increased again to nearly 5,500 units. However, sales fell towards the end of the decade, and the end of production was finally announced in May 2000, with its successor – the
Rio
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
– not going on sale for another year.
From 1995 to 1999, Kia produced left- and right-hand drive versions of the first generation
Sportage SUV
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
at the Karmann factory in Osnabrück, Germany. These have been popular across Europe, but, since 2002, Kia has gained more sales in this market thanks to the launch of the larger
Sorento. From 1999 until production of the model ceased in 2003, all Sportage production reverted to South Korea.
The European range also expanded in the spring of 1994 when Kia began importing the larger
Mentor
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
, a range of medium-sized hatchbacks and sedans which were marketed as inexpensive and well-equipped alternatives to the likes of the
Ford Escort and the
Vauxhall/Opel Astra.
A facelift in 1999 saw the Mentor name retained for the saloon (sedan), but the hatchback was renamed
Shuma. These models remained on sale until 2004, when the newer
Cerato was launched and gave Kia one of its first serious competitors against mainstream brands. The
Clarus
Claros (; el, Κλάρος, ''Klaros''; la, Clarus) was an ancient Greek sanctuary on the coast of Ionia. It contained a temple and oracle of Apollo, honored here as Apollo Clarius. It was located in the territory of Colophon, which lay twelve ...
saloon and
Sedona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...
MPV were also launched onto the UK market during 1999, helping Kia begin its rise in popularity.
Despite Kia's range increasing from one car as late as 1993, to three cars by the end of 1995, British sales actually decreased in that period, from nearly 5,500 in 1993 to less than 4,000 the following year. In 1998, Kia's future in Britain was thrown into serious doubt when it sold less than 3,000 of its whole range – the worst in any full year on the British market. Kia did not enter Europe's large family car market until the launch of its
Clarus
Claros (; el, Κλάρος, ''Klaros''; la, Clarus) was an ancient Greek sanctuary on the coast of Ionia. It contained a temple and oracle of Apollo, honored here as Apollo Clarius. It was located in the territory of Colophon, which lay twelve ...
four-door sedan in 1999—a year behind schedule due to the financial difficulties that Kia was facing before it was taken over by Hyundai. This car was similar in size to the
Ford Mondeo
The Ford Mondeo is a large family car manufactured by Ford since 1993. The first Ford model declared as a "world car", the Mondeo was intended to consolidate several Ford model lines worldwide (the European Sierra, the Telstar in Asia and Austra ...
and the
Opel/Vauxhall Vectra, but, on its launch, was actually less expensive to buy than the smaller
Focus
Focus, or its plural form foci may refer to:
Arts
* Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in South Australia Film
*''Focus'', a 1962 TV film starring James Whitmore
* ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based ...
and the
Astra. It had a spacious interior, large boot, competitive asking price, and high equipment levels, but it had little more appeal to sway buyers away from established European brands like
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
,
Vauxhall/Opel and
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
.
Its successor, the
Magentis, launched in 2001, was still nowhere near as popular as Kia might have hoped it would be, although with a sub-£14,000 asking price it offered the cheapest V6-engined car in the UK, by which time it was rare enough for a six-cylinder car to be priced at less than £20,000.
Kia entered the
MPV market in 1999 with the
Sedona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...
. On its launch, it was the lowest-priced, full-size people carrier on sale in the United Kingdom. With the range expanded by 1999, sales for that year reached almost 6,400 – more than double the previous year's total. That annual sales figure had almost been matched in 2000 by the end of May, reflecting Kia's growing popularity with British buyers. By 2009, Kia was firmly established as a popular brand in Britain, when sales broke the 50,000 barrier for the first time and the brand now had a share of more than 2% in the new car market. The
Picanto was the most popular single model with nearly 17,000 sales.
In late 2006, Kia opened its first own plant in Europe at a cost of approximately EUR 1.7 billion in
Žilina
Žilina (; hu, Zsolna, ; german: Sillein, or ; pl, Żylina , names in other languages) is a city in north-western Slovakia, around from the capital Bratislava, close to both the Czech and Polish borders. It is the fourth largest city of Sl ...
,
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, in the village of
Teplička nad Váhom
Teplička nad Váhom ( hu, Vágtapolca) is a village and municipality in Žilina District in the Žilina Region of northern Slovakia.
History
In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1267. The village was the birthplace of the H ...
, after construction between October 2004 and December 2005. It has since produced over 2.5 million units of the
Kia Cee'd
The Kia Ceed (known as the Kia cee'd before 2018) is a compact car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 2006 exclusively for the European market. The Ceed was first unveiled on 28 September 2006 at the Paris Motor Show. In mid-2007, ...
,
Kia Sportage
The Kia Sportage is a lineup of sport utility vehicles manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 1993. Since 2004, the Sportage has been categorized as a compact crossover SUV, while previously it occupied the compact SUV class. It ...
and
Kia Venga
The Kia Venga is a car manufactured by Kia for the European market across a single generation (2009–2019) with a five-door, five passenger, front-engine, front-wheel-drive, high-roof mini MPV (compact minivan) design.
The Venga was styled by Gre ...
, as well as seven types of engines. In 2016, 339,500 cars and 612,915 engines were manufactured. The area of the plant is 166 ha and Mobis Slovakia, the largest supplier, is situated right on the carmaker's premises. As of December 31, 2016, 3,625 employees worked in the facility, while their average age was 35. The relatively low number of employees working in three shifts is related to a high degree of automation as well as high integration with Mobis Slovakia. In 2016, Kia Motors Slovakia recorded revenue of EUR 5.56 billion. Although the European car market knew significant difficulties, Kia announced increased sales in 2013.
Kia Mexico
The company has built a $1 billion manufacturing plant in the northern Mexican state of
Nuevo León
Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
, which produces 300,000 cars a year. Details of the factory, built in the city of
Pesquería
Pesquería Municipality is a municipality of the state of Nuevo León in Mexico. It is located at 25º47´N 100º3´W and above sea level. It is part of the suburban area of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. Its distance to the Monterrey city ...
, were revealed in a joint press conference given by Kia CEO Hyoung-Keun Lee and the
President of Mexico
The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Co ...
Enrique Peña Nieto
Enrique Peña Nieto (; born 20 July 1966), commonly referred to by his initials EPN, is a Mexican politician who served as the 64th president of Mexico from 1 December 2012 to 30 November 2018. A member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party ...
in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
on August 28, 2014. The plant was expected to be completed in the first half of 2016.
This factory is involved in controversies because it was built on unevenly purchased land, and the construction agreement was made with advantage conditions and out of the local dispositions to Kia.
Kia India
The company has entered the Indian market in July 2019 with their 'Made for India' SUV- SP2 Concept now announced as the global mid-sized SUV
Kia Seltos
The Kia Seltos ( ko, 기아 셀토스) is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured by Kia. Introduced in mid-2019, the Seltos is positioned between the smaller Stonic, Soul, or Sonet and the larger Sportage in Kia's global SUV lineup.
The Seltos ...
.
N. Chandrababu Naidu is lauded to have signed an MOU for the government of Andhra Pradesh which came to be one of the biggest FDI's with a total investment of Rs.12,900 crore. The company has built a production facility on a
Greenfield land
Greenfield land is a British English term referring to undeveloped land in an urban or rural area either used for agriculture or landscape design, or left to evolve naturally. These areas of land are usually agricultural or amenity properties b ...
in
Anantpur district
Anantapur district officially: Anantapuramu district is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Anantapur city. It is one of the driest places in Sout ...
,
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
near
Penukonda
Penukonda also called Penugonda is a town in the Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 70 km away from Anantapur town.
Demography
According to ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'', Penukonda was a subdivision and ta ...
. The annual production capacity is 300,000 units. Kia has appointed Kookhyun Shim as MD & CEO for its Indian arm. In his new role, Shim will be responsible for leading the carmaker's expansion in the Indian market. Shim will play a leading role in ensuring KI's projected timeline and schedule of operations is achieved. He also oversaw the construction of Kia's first manufacturing facility in India, to help strengthen the company's position in the fifth largest global automotive market. Kia has committed investments to the tune of $1.1 billion to develop operations in India including investing in a network of over 250 customer touch-points that include service, sales and spares establishments.
On 31 July 2020, Kia crossed 100,000 car sales in India becoming the fastest car manufacturer to do so.
Kia Lucky Motors Pakistan
Kia Lucky Motors (KLM) is a joint venture in Pakistan between Kia Motors and
Lucky Cement
Lucky Cement Limited (LCL) ( ur, ) is the largest cement producer in Pakistan. Its shares are traded on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, and are part of the KSE 100 Index. The company's highest share price was PKR 1043.50, in May 2017 . Kia Lucky Motors Pakistan began selling cars in 2018 when they launched their All New Grand Carnival in Pakistan. In quarter 4 2019, Kia Pakistan introduced two new locally manufactured products known as Kia Sportage and Kia Picanto.
Kia Defense
![KOCIS Korea 65th Armed Forces Day 23 (10036102634)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/KOCIS_Korea_65th_Armed_Forces_Day_23_%2810036102634%29.jpg)
Kia Motors has specialized in the production of military vehicles with variants and other transportation equipment and by supplying them as a sole maker of military vehicles designated by the South Korean Government since 1976, when Kia Heavy Industry Co. Ltd. (now known as Hyundai Wia) was established. Kia is currently designing a
Kaiser Jeep M715
The G-890 Truck, -ton, 4×4, Kaiser Jeep M715, sometimes called the "Five quarter (ton)", for its ton payload rating, is an American light military truck, based on the civilian Jeep Gladiator (SJ). Design and development for the M715 began in 196 ...
-type vehicle named th
KM450for the
South Korean Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...
on license from the U.S. Government. Kia is also the owner of the former ex-Asia Motors factory in
Gwangju
Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...
.
Models
Sales figures
Facilities
Design emphasis
Beginning in 2006 Kia identified design as its "core future growth engine" – leading to the 2006 hiring of
Peter Schreyer
Peter Schreyer (born 1953) is a German automobile designer widely known for his design contributions to the Audi TT. He has been the chief design officer at Kia Motors since 2006 and, on 28 December 2012, he was named one of three presidents of ...
and to the 2005 hiring Tom Kearns as Chief Design Officer.
Schreyer had previously worked at
Audi
Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide.
Th ...
(designing the
Audi TT) and
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
and had won the
Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Kearns had previously worked at Cadillac as Chief Design Officer and was responsible for influencing Cadillac's direction of hard angles and sharp lines within their design. Schreyer has since been central to a complete restyling of Kia's line-up,
overseeing design activities at Kia's design centers in Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and the
Namyang Design Center in South Korea.
With the Kee concept vehicle, shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007,
Kia introduced a new corporate grille
to create a recognizable 'face' for the brand. Known as the ''Tiger Nose'', Schreyer indicated he wanted "a powerful visual signal, a seal, an identifier. The front of a car needs this recognition, this expression. A car needs a face and I think the new Kia face is strong and distinctive. Visibility is vital and that face should immediately allow you to identify a Kia even from a distance."
Schreyer described how the Kia Tiger Nose came to be as he explained, "I was just working on the car and just thinking about different possibilities, and suddenly I found it." Commenting on the new signature grille in 2009: "From now on, we'll have it on all our cars".
Kia has since featured the Tiger Nose on all of their vehicles, ranging from the compact Kia Soul, on to the edgy new design of the Kia Optima, and to the larger SUV, the Kia Telluride. Kia cars won
Road & Travel Magazine's
International Car of the Year
The International Car of the Year (ICOTY) awards are one of several annual "car of the year" awards around the world for new automobile models judged to be the best of their generation. This one is presented by the United States magazine '' Road ...
award in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Controversies
In late 2012, Kia Motors was forced to admit error in inflating its
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
mileage claims and had to reduce its fuel economy claims in the U.S. by about 3 percent across the board and to offer compensation to previous vehicle buyers.
Nuevo León plant
Since 2014, Kia Motors has been involved in controversies in Mexico due to alleged irregularities in the construction of one of its manufacturing plants, located in the municipality of
Pesquería
Pesquería Municipality is a municipality of the state of Nuevo León in Mexico. It is located at 25º47´N 100º3´W and above sea level. It is part of the suburban area of the Monterrey Metropolitan area. Its distance to the Monterrey city ...
,
Nuevo León
Nuevo León () is a state in the northeast region of Mexico. The state was named after the New Kingdom of León, an administrative territory from the Viceroyalty of New Spain, itself was named after the historic Spanish Kingdom of León. With a ...
. The construction of the plant was done in an irregularly purchased land agreement between Kia Motors Mexico and the State of Nuevo León, then headed by
Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz, was signed with unfairly advantageous conditions, such as bigger tax incentives than those allowed by Mexican law (tax exemptions for 20 years when the standard is 5), extended to the Mexican providers of Kia.
A copy of the full agreement was published in Facebook by current Nuevo León governor,
Jaime Rodríguez Calderón
Jaime Heliodoro Rodríguez Calderón (born 28 December 1957 in Ejido Pablillo, Galeana, Nuevo León), sometimes referred to by his nickname "''El Bronco''", is a Mexican politician. He served as the Governor of the northern state of Nuevo León ...
, as part of a prosecution case against Medina and he declared that the signed agreement with his predecessor would be cancelled. A new agreement was then reached with Rodriguez's administration in June 2016. Former governor Medina de la Cruz and 30 other officials of the former state administration were investigated by an anti-corruption prosecutor for alleged
embezzlement
Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...
, improper exercise of public functions and damage to Nuevo León State assets.
Medina was then taken into custody on January 26, 2017, in relation to this case and others in which he is involved.
Sponsorship
![EURO 2012 Poznan Paderewskiego](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/EURO_2012_Poznan_Paderewskiego.jpg)
Kia Motors sponsors the following sports teams, events, venues, and athletes:
Venues
*
Kia Arena
*
Kia Forum
Kia Forum (formerly The Forum) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located between West Manchester Boulevard, across Laffit Pincay Jr., Pincay Drive and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem Co ...
*
Kia Oval
Sports associations
*
League of Legends European Championship
The ''League of Legends'' EMEA Championship (LEC) is the professional ''League of Legends'' esports league run by Riot Games in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) region, in which ten teams compete. Each annual season of play is divid ...
(LEC)
*
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
*
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
*
Liga ACB
The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...
*
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA)
*
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
(WNBA)
Sports events
*
Archery World Cup
The Archery World Cup is a competition, started in 2006, organized by the World Archery Federation, where the archers compete in four stages in four countries and the best eight archers of each category (from 2010, four archers during 2006-09) ad ...
*
Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
*
Australian Open
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Th ...
(tennis tournament)
*
Copa América
The Copa América ( en, America Cup) or CONMEBOL Copa América, known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship (''Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol'' in Spanish and ''Campeonato Sul-Americano de Futebol'' in Portuguese), is the t ...
*
FIBA Asia Championship
The FIBA Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA Asia Championship and ABC Championship) is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania.
Through the 2015 edition, the tourna ...
*
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
*
Kia Classic
The JTBC Classic Presented by Barbasol, formerly the Kia Classic, is a women's professional golf tournament in Southern California on the LPGA Tour. It debuted in 2010 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, then moved north for a year in ...
(
LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...
)
* Kia Lotos Race
*
Kia Super League
The Women's Cricket Super League (WCSL), known as the Kia Super League (KSL) for sponsorship reasons, was a semi-professional women's Twenty20 cricket competition in England and Wales operated by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The comp ...
(cricket)
* Korea Speed Festival
*
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
*
Universiade
The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad".
The Universiade is referred t ...
*
X Games
The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...
*
X Games Asia
X Games Asia, also called the KIA X Games Asia or World Extreme Games is a sports event which focuses on Extreme sports. The inaugural World Extreme Games were held in Phuket, Thailand in 1998. They were held in Phuket until 2001, Kuala Lumpur f ...
Sports teams
*
A.C. Monza
Associazione Calcio Monza () is a professional football club that is based in Monza, Lombardy, Italy. The team plays in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football, following promotion in the 2021–22 Serie B season.
The club was fou ...
(Italian association football team)
*
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
*
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...
(Spanish professional football club, from 2005 to 2011)
*
B-SAD
B-SAD is a Portuguese football club from Lisbon founded on 30 June 2018 as an independent entity. A rebel offshoot of Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses, they last played in the Primeira Liga, being relegated to Liga Portugal 2 for 2022–23. They ...
(Portugal association football team)
*
Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 20 July 2013, and began its first ...
(Indian professional Football Club, from 2018 to 2020)
*
Boston United FC
Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known a ...
(English Football Club)
*
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club Ltd., commonly referred to as the Broncos, is an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos play in Australia's elite com ...
(National Rugby League)
*
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilita ...
(National Rugby League)
*
DWG KIA
DWG KIA, commonly referred to as DAMWON KIA ( ko, 담원 기아) and formerly known as DAMWON Gaming ( abbr. DWG; ko, 담원 게이밍, links=no), is a South Korean professional esports organization. Its ''League of Legends'' team competes in ...
(South Korean professional esports organization)
*
England women's cricket team
The England women's cricket team represents England and Wales in international women's cricket. Since 1998, they have been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by the Women's Cricket Association ...
*
FC Hansa Rostock
FC Hansa Rostock () is a German association football club based in the city of Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The club is also called as "the cog" because of its club crest. They have emerged as one of the most successful clubs from the forme ...
(German association football team, from 1999 to 2002)
*
FC Steaua București FC Steaua București was a Romanian professional football club of which two current entities are claiming the records. The original ''FC Steaua București'' team was part of the namesake CSA Steaua București sports club and belonged to the Ministry ...
(Romanian association football team)
*
Greater Western Sydney Giants
The Greater Western Sydney Giants (officially the Greater Western Sydney Football Club and colloquially known as the GWS Giants or simply GWS) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Sydney Olympic Park, which represents the ...
(Australian Football League)
*
Kia Forte
The Kia Forte, known as the K3 in South Korea, the Forte K3 or Shuma in China and Cerato in South America, Australia, New Zealand and Russia, is a compact car manufactured by South Korean automaker Kia since mid-2008, replacing the Kia Spectra. I ...
(Shakey's V-League)
*
Kia Picanto
The Kia Picanto is a city car that has been produced by the South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, since 2003. Other names of the car include Kia Morning ( ko, 기아 모닝, translit=Gia Moning) in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan (first two generati ...
(Philippine Basketball Association)
* Kia Speed Skating Academy
*
Kia Tigers
Kia Tigers ( ko, KIA 타이거즈) are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982 and based in the southwestern city of Gwangju. Until 2001, they were known as the Haitai Tigers. The Tigers are a members of the KBO League and are ...
(Korean Baseball Team in
Gwangju
Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
)
*
Philippines national football team
The Philippines national football team (Filipino/ tl, Pambansang koponan ng futbol ng Pilipinas, lit=) represents the Philippines in international football, governed by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and has been playing internationa ...
*
Qormi FC
Qormi Football Club is a Maltese football club from the city of Qormi, that currently plays in the Maltese National Amateur League.
History
Qormi Football Club was founded in 1961 after the amalgamation of Qormi Youngsters (from the parish of ...
(Maltese association football team)
*
Rogue (European professional esports organization)
*
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team ( sk, Slovenská futbalová reprezentácia) represents Slovakia in men's international football competition and it is governed by the Slovak Football Association (SFZ), the governing body for football in Slo ...
* South Korea national speed skating team
*
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC) is a first-class club in county cricket, one of eighteen in the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Surrey, including areas that now form South London ...
*
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Football in Italy, Italian association football, football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a ...
(Italian association football team, from 2004 to 2006)
*
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic
Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic are a New Zealand netball team based in Hamilton. Between 1999 and 2007, they played in the Coca-Cola Cup/National Bank Cup league. Between 2008 and 2016, they played in the ANZ Championship. Since 2017, Magic have ...
Athletes
*
Ryan Ford (MMA fighter)
*
Fernando González
Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi (; born 29 July 1980) is a Chilean former professional tennis player. During his career he made it to at least the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam tournaments. He played his only major final at the ...
(Chilean tennis player – 2004 & 2008 Olympic medalist)
*
Badr Hari
Badr Hari (born 8 December 1984) is a Moroccan-Dutch kickboxer. He is a former K-1 Heavyweight World Champion (2007–2008), It's Showtime Heavyweight World Champion (2009–2010) and ''K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 and 2009'' finalist. Born an ...
(Moroccan kickboxer)
*
LeBron James
LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...
(Global brand ambassador)
*
Blake Griffin
Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, when he was named the consensu ...
(NBA basketball player)
*
Lee Sang-hwa
Lee Sang-hwa (Korean: 이상화, Hanja: 李相花, ; born 25 February 1989) is a South Korean retired speed skater who specialises in the sprint distances. She is a two-time Olympic champion in 500 metres (2010 and 2014) and the 2010 World Sp ...
(Speed skater)
*
Yulia Lipnitskaya
Yulia Vyacheslavovna Lipnitskaya (also spelled Julia Lipnitskaia; russian: Юлия Вячеславовна Липницкая, ; born 5 June 1998) is a Russian retired competitive figure skater. She was part of the Russian team to win the 20 ...
(Russian figure skater)
*
Aliya Mustafina
Aliya Farkhatovna Mustafina (russian: Алия Фархатовна Мустафина) is a Russian former artistic gymnast. With a combined total of 45 Olympic, World and European Championship medals, she is considered one of the most success ...
and
Viktoria Komova
Viktoria Aleksandrovna Komova (russian: Виктория Александровна Комова; born 30 January 1995) is a former Russian artistic gymnast. She is a two-time Olympic medalist, having won silver medals in the all-around and te ...
(both Russian artistic gymnasts)
*
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal Parera (, ; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 2 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He has been ranked List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis ...
(Global brand ambassador)
*
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao Sr. (; born December17, 1978) is a Filipino politician and former professional boxer. Nicknamed "PacMan", he is regarded as one of the greatest professional boxers of all time. He served as a Senator of the Philip ...
(Filipino boxer)
*
Adelina Sotnikova
Adelina Dmitriyevna Sotnikova (russian: link=no, Адели́на Дми́триевна Со́тникова ; born 1 July 1996) is a retired Russian figure skater. She is the 2014 Olympic champion, a two-time European silver medalist (2012, ...
(Russian figure skater)
*
Michelle Wie
Michelle Sung Wie West (; born October 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie also became the youngest winner of the U.S ...
(Official golf ambassador & spokesperson – KMA)
*
Dylan Alcott
Dylan Martin Alcott, (born 4 December 1990) is an Australian former wheelchair tennis player, former wheelchair basketball player, radio host and motivational speaker. Alcott was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball te ...
(Australian tennis player)
* Eric Keogh (Kia Race Series winner 2 years in a row)
Actors
*
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan (; born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He is best known as the fifth actor to play secret agent James Bond in the Bond film series, starring in four films from 1995 to 2002 (''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow ...
*
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is a three time Emmy Award and Tony Award winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative charact ...
*
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
*
Tiger Shroff
Jai Hemant "Tiger" Shroff (born 2 March 1990) is an Indian actor and martial artist known for his work in the Indian cinema. He is best known for his Baaghi action franchise, ''Heropanti'' (2014) and ''War'' (''2019''). He has featured in Forb ...
Musicians
*
Blackpink
Blackpink (, commonly stylized in all caps or as BLɅϽKPIИK) is a South Korean girl group formed by YG Entertainment, consisting of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. The group debuted in August 2016 with their single album ''Square ...
*
Chase Bryant
Chase Spencer Yaklin, better known by his stage name Chase Bryant (born October 9, 1992) is an American singer and songwriter. Bryant is a family name shared by his grandfather, Jimmy Bryant, who performed with Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings.
In ...
*
Hyolyn
Kim Hyo-jung (; born December 11, 1990), better known by her stage name Hyolyn (효린), is a South Korean singer and songwriter, now under the management of her own self-started production company Bridʒ. She is a former member of the South Kor ...
*
Matthew Koma
Matthew Bair (born June 2, 1987), known professionally as Matthew Koma, is an American singer, songwriter, DJ and record producer. Songs written by Koma include "Spectrum" and Grammy Award-winner "Clarity", both performed by Zedd. Koma has colla ...
*
MisterWives
*
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
Music events
* Live at The chapel (Australian music concert)
*
Vans Warped Tour
The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...
* YouTube Music Awards (2013)
*
Melon Music Awards (
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
)
Charity events
* We Can Be Heroes (joint-venture between Kia and
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
);
Entertainment
* ''
Inside the NBA
''Inside the NBA'', branded for sponsorship purposes as ''Inside the NBA presented by Kia'', is the postgame show for ''NBA on TNT'' broadcasts. The program features host Ernie Johnson with analysts Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O' ...
''
* ''
Tobot
''Tobot'' (Korean: 변신자동차 또봇, RR: ''Byeonsinjadongcha Ttobot'') is a South Korean animated television series produced by Young Toys and Retrobot. The series features transforming cars — some of which are designed after Kia vehic ...
''
* ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
''
Slogans
* (2000–2006)
* (2006–2021)
* (2019–2021, United States)
* (2021–present, Worldwide)
See also
*
List of Kia design and manufacturing facilities
South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia maintains 14 manufacturing facilities in eight countries along with research centres in South Korea, the US, Japan, and Germany. Kia has four manufacturing plants in South Korea and additional plants in Ch ...
*
Automotive industry in South Korea
The automotive industry in South Korea is the fifth-largest in the world as measured by automobile unit production and also the sixth-largest by automobile export volume.
While its initial operations were merely the assembling of parts impor ...
*
Hyundai Motor Group
The Hyundai Motor Group (HMG; ; ; stylized as HYUΠDAI) is a South Korean '' chaebol'' (loosely similar to a multinational conglomerate but without a central holding company or ownership structure) headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.
The HM ...
*
Kia EcoDynamics
EcoDynamics is an energy efficient subbrand of Kia Motors introduced with the Ray concept car at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show
The Chicago Auto Show is held annually in February at Chicago's McCormick Place
convention center. It is the largest a ...
*
Economy of South Korea
The economy of South Korea is a highly developed mixed economy. By nominal GDP, it has the 5th largest economy in Asia and the 13th largest in the world. South Korea is notable for its rapid economic development from an underdeveloped nati ...
References
External links
*
* (Local)
Kia Military Vehicles official site
{{Authority control
Kia Motors
Car manufacturers of South Korea
Bus manufacturers of South Korea
Truck manufacturers of South Korea
Defence companies of South Korea
Hyundai Motor Group
Multinational companies headquartered in South Korea
Manufacturing companies based in Seoul
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1944
1944 establishments in the Japanese colonial empire
Companies listed on the Korea Exchange
South Korean brands
Car brands
Motor vehicle engine manufacturers
Engine manufacturers of South Korea