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Kia Motors' history dates back to 1994 as the Kyungsung Precision Industry. It all started with the generation of steel tubing and bicycle components. Kia Motors’ first bicycle was manufactured in Korea in 1951 and next year, it was renamed to Kia Industries. Recognized as the biggest producer after Hyundai in South Korea, Kia's headquarter is in Seoul, South Korea.

They started off by building small authorized Honda cars and Mazda trucks in 1957 and 1962 respectively. Their first assembly plant named Sohari was instituted after the organization made profits from the sale of trucks and passenger buses.

The military regime of Chun Doo-Hwan dealt a great blow on the organization. Therefore, Kia Motors were left with no choice than to abandon the generation of traveler vehicles and focused on trucks instead. In 1986, the company produced only 26 cars in the entire year. But in the following year this number escalated to 95,000 vehicles Kia got a breather. In a bid to re-enter the sector, Kia partnered with Ford and they produced various models that ranged from Mazda 121 to Avella. These were sold in both domestic and foreign markets.

In 1992, Kia makes its entrance into the US market. There was a plan from the beginning itself. Kia first sold vehicles from 4 dealerships and then expanded one by one. Moreover, with more than a hundred dealerships, expansion across 30 states, 24,740 automobiles already produced, Kia motors can be said to be brilliantly launched in the US market.

The year 1997 brought a major challenge for the company as it entered bankruptcy. This was a result of the financial meltdown in Asia, and the Kia motors sold 51% of its proprietorship to Hyundai Motor Company who outbids the Ford company that had shown interest since 1986. Ensuing agreement breeds the acquisition of 22 Hyundai subsidiaries by Kia and one-third control of the Kia Motor Corporation by Hyundai. More interestingly, the organization is now increasingly centered around the European market.

A breakthrough came when they increase their focus in Europe. In 2006, it started manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia In 2006which was later opened in the year 2010.

Kia Motor was internationally recognized after it was used for welcoming Pope Francis in Seoul. What’s more, it was adjudged as the most reliable model by J.D. Power and Associates in the US and was the first non-luxury automaker to achieve this feat.