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Kia

South Korean Automobile Company KIA

The South Korean automobile Kia Motors Corporation was established in 1944 but the production of cars started only in 1974 with Mazda 323 under the license of the Japanese company Mazda and already at the end of the 70s the production of cars became the main line of activity.

The financial crisis which swept the company at the beginning of the 80s led to the fact that the preferences were given to cheap cars. In September 1983 the partnership agreement between Kia and Mazda was signed and in 1987 the new model Pride (based on Mazda 121) was launched. In March 1990 the company changed its name to Kia Motors Corporation and thanks to the chosen policy the financial position of the company improved considerably. From the beginning of the 90s KIA took its firm position at the European market. At present the company took the worthy place among the leading car producers in the world.

In 1991 at the motor show in Tokyo two new models Kia Sportage and Kia Sephfia were presented to the public. Kia Sephia was created on the base of Mazda 323 and was presented in Europe in 1993, in 1995 it was restyled and in 1997 it was modernized again. The sales of Sephfia II in Europe started only in 1998. In 1995 on the base of Mazda 626 the new model Kia Clarus was launched as well as Kia Elan (Roadster).

The company is constantly widening its range of cars including expensive cars as well. In December 1998 the controlling block of stocks of Kia Motors Corporation passed to Hyundai Motors and in 1999 it was acquired by Daewoo having kept the trademark Kia. In 1999 at the auto automobile showroom in Frankfurt am Main the compact Kia Carens was presented to the public. In 2000 the new models Kia Visto, Kia Rio and Kia Magentis appeared in the market.

At the motor show in Paris in 2001 the sedan Magentis was presented. The model is characterized by the optimal ratio between the cost and the quality. At present Kia models are sold in more than 170 countries of the world.


See also: Mercedes Benz    Jeep    Hyundai    Toyota    Mercury    SATURN    HUMMER    Mitsubishi    Oldsmobile    Jaguar