Kia Motors From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article contains Korean text.

Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or hanja. Kia Motors ????? "The Power to Surprise" Type public company (KRX: 000270) Industry Automobile manufacturer Founded June 9, 1944 Headquarters Seoul, South Korea Area served International Key people Young-Jong Seo: CEO and President[1] Products Automobiles Revenue ?23.26 trillion (2010) ($21.261 billion USD) Net income ?2.254 trillion (2010) ($2.06 billion USD) Total assets ?18.625 trillion (2010) ($17 billion USD) Owner(s) Hyundai Kia Automotive Group (49.2%[2]) Employees 42,000 (as of November 2009) Website kia.com Kia Motors Hangul ????? Hanja ????? Revised Romanization Gia Jadongcha McCune Reischauer Kia Chadongch'a Kia Motors (Korean: ?????, IPA: [ki.a]), headquartered in Seoul, is South Korea' s second largest automobile manufacturer, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010.[3] The company is partly owned by the Hyundai Motor Group and since August 2009, is led by Hyoung-Keun (Hank) Lee.[4] The word Kia derives from Korean words meaning "to arise to the world from Asia. " History According to Kia Motors, the name "Kia" derives from the Sino-Korean words ki (" to come out") and a (which stands for Asia), it is roughly translated as "arise or come up out of Asia" or "rising out of As ia".[5][6] More literally, Kia is a Persian name meaning king, protector, and defender, whi ch may also to attribute homage to over 2500 year legacy of Persian monarchy and civilization at the cultural cr ossroads of the Silk Road that historically connected East and West. These attri butes are reinforced by Kia's naming of some models, and its defense division. Kia mixte frame bicycle South Korea's oldest car company, Kia was founded on June 9, 1944 as a manufactu rer of steel tubing and bicycle parts by hand and has operated as one of the cou ntry's Chaebols since. In 1951 Kia began building complete bicycles. In 1952, Kia changed its name from Kyungsung Precision Industry,[7] and later built motor

cycles (starting in 1957), trucks (1962) and cars (1974). The company opened its first integrated automotive assembly plant in 1973, the Sohari Plant. Starting in 1986, in partnership with Ford, Kia produced several Mazda derived vehicles for both domestic sales in South Ko rea into other countries. These models include the Pride (based on the Mazda 121) and Avella, which were s old in North America and Australasia as the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire. 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 Portla nd, Oregon in February 1994.[citation needed] Since then, Kia expanded methodica lly one region at a time. Dealers in 1994 sold the Sephia, and a few years later the United States line expanded with the addition of the Sportage. During the Asian financial crisis, Kia declared bankruptcy in 1997; in 1998 Hyun dai Motor Company acquired 51% of the company outbidding Ford Motor Company whic h had owned an interest in Kia Motors since 1986.[8] After subsequent divestment s,[9] Hyundai Motor Company owns less than 50% of the company. 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 in 2006 as Chief Design Officer[10] and his subsequent creation of a new corporate grille known as the 'Tiger Nose'.[11][12] In October 2006, Kia Motors America broke ground for Kia Motors Manufacturing Ge orgia in West Point, Georgia, representing a $1 billion USD investment for the c ompany.[13] Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia opened in February 2010, after Kia recorded its 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share.[14] Design emphasis Beginning in 2006 Kia identified design as its "core future growth engine" leadi ng to the 2006 hiring of Peter Schreyer as Chief Design Officer. [10] Schreyer had previously worked at Audi (designing the Audi TT) and Volkswag en and had won the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany.[16] Schreyer has since been central to a complete restyling of Kia's lineup, [17] overseeing design activities at Kia's design centers in Frankfurt, Los Ange les, Tokyo and the Namyang Design Center in Korea.[18] Affiliations and subsidiaries [edit]Kia Motors Corporation Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) was founded in 1944, is Korea's oldest manufacturer of motor vehicles and is now a division of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group. Over 1.5 million vehicles a year are produced in 13 manufacturing and assembly operations in eight countries which are then sold and serviced through a network of distributors and dealers covering 172 countries. Kia today has over 42,000 e mployees worldwide and annual revenues of over US$14.6 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Open and an official automotive partn er of FIFA the governing body of the FIFA World Cup. Kia Motors Corporation's brand slogan is "The Power to Surprise". [edit]Kia Motors America Kia Motors America (KMA) is the American sales, marketing and distribution arm o f Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea . KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 640 dealers throughou t the United States. For 2008, KMA recorded its 14th consecutive year of increas ed U.S. market share. In August 2009, Kia was the 8th-best selling automotive brand in the United Stat es, outselling makes like Chrysler and Mazda. In November 2009, Kia started production at the first U.S. Kia Motors plant, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia in West Point. The facility is building the 2011 K ia Sorento crossover vehicle.

With the Kee concept vehicle, shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007,[12] Kia introduced a new corporate grille[12] to create a recognizable 'face' for the b rand. Known as the Tiger Nose, Shreyer indicated he wanted "a powerful visual si gnal, a seal, an identifier. The front of a car needs this recognition, this expression. A car needs a face a nd I think the new Kia face is strong and distinctive. Visibility is vital and t hat face should immediately allow you to identify a Kia even from a distance."[1 2] Commenting on the new signature grille in 2009: "From now on, we'll have it o n all our cars".[19] Kia Defense 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 Govern ment since 1976, when Kia Heavy Industry Co., Ltd was established. Kia is currently designing a Kaiser Jeep M715-type vehicle named the KM450 for the South Korean Army on licen se from the U.S. Government. KIA Defense produces six vehicles: KM42 half ton to three quarter ton variants of the M715 KM-45 modern variant of the M715 KM-25 variant of the M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck KM-50 variant of the M809 Truck both as 5 ton and 7 ton variants KM-100 88 heavy tactical truck K53 similar to the Swedish BV amphibious tracked vehicle