5 facts about KIA you probably didn't know
We bring you the first part of a series of interesting facts about car brands, which you can also find in our offer. In the first part, we'll take a look at 5 facts about the KIA brand that you probably didn't know and might find interesting.
KIA is a subsidiary of Hyundai
On the market we find a number of companies that on the outside may appear to compete with each other but are in fact owned by the same company (Such as Volkswagen,Skoda and Audi). Kia and Hyundai are no exception. Since 1998 Hyundai owns a 33.88% stake in Kia and together they are the third largest car manufacturer in the world.
Kia also specialises in the production of military vehicles
In our country, we may know Kia as a manufacturer of reliable SUVs and hatchbacks. Our current range includes the Kia Ceed and Sportage. In South Korea, however, the brand's range is also expanding to include a military vehicle division directly for the Korean military. The KIA KLTV light tactical vehicle has been in production since 2016.
KIA started as a bicycle manufacturer
Founded in 1944 under the name Kyungsung Precision Industry, the company specialised as a bicycle parts manufacturer before later becoming the Kia Motors we know today.
Ford helped Kia get back on its feet
In 1978, a military coup in South Korea toppled the government of the day. Following the coup, a number of Korean industrial companies had to cease operations and instead began producing weapons and vehicles for the military. When the situation calmed down, Kia no longer had the means to return to passenger car production. However, they were able to strike a deal with Ford to build their vehicles on their premises for a period of time, which helped them to recover.
The target market for Kia is Europe
Although Kia has strong competition in Europe, it has been achieving record sales here year after year and has been growing steadily. One sign of this drive to win the European market is the creation of the Kia Ceed, designed by a designer from Hungary. The name of the model itself is an abbreviation of the phrase Community of Europe, European Design, which translates as 'European Community, European Design. Another feature is the fact that Kia's chief designer since 2006 has been Peter Schreyer, who is originally from Germany. He is also known for designing the Audi TT.
