Kia
KIA Motors is South Korea’s oldest car manufacturer, founded on 9 June 1944. Today, Kia is the second largest automobile manufacturer in Asia, as well as being a major international manufacturer of motor vehicles around the world. The company has been partly owned by the Hyundai Motor Group, the fourth largest automaker in the world, since 1998. The word Kia derives from Korean words meaning "to arise to the world from Asia".
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 in February 1994.
Since 2005, Kia has focused on the European market. They identified a design as their "core future growth engine".This lead to the hiring of Peter Schreyer in 2006 as Chief Design Officer and his subsequent creation of a new corporate grille known as the 'Tiger Nose'.
KIA South Africa offers confidence to South African customers. They offer unparalleled motor vehicle warranties on KIA models – something South African motorists have never received before. KIA is currently ranked 7th internationally on the JD Powers 2010 Customer Retention Study.
Along with our sister company, Hyundai, KIA Motors is reported as being the fifth (5th) largest car manufacturer in the world, leading vehicle modernism and motoring satisfaction onto global showroom floors.