Kia History - Harford, CT

For over 70 years, Kia has been providing quality products to help people move ahead on the road. However, while it is now a rather large company, Kia arose from humble beginnings. Despite how large the company has grown, the people behind it have never lost sight of their commitment to their customers.

Kia was founded in 1944. The Korean company began as a manufacturer of bicycle parts, eventually moving to producing and selling complete vehicles seven years later. While this operation may seem small, it was the first step towards making Kia the prolific carmaker it is today.

A year later in 1952, Kia changed its name to Kyungsung Precision Industry. It began shifting its attention toward the production of motorcycles. The company completed its first motorcycle in 1957. From there, the operation expanded to several models of small trucks, like the K-360 and T-1500.

In 1973, Kia opened its first automotive assembly plant, the Sohari Plant. Hard work soon began on a fleet of Kia vehicles. One year later, Kia introduced its first car, the Brisa 1.0.

Unfortunately, shifts in the political power of Korea brought automobile production to a halt in 1981. A few years later, Kia reentered the automobile industry in a partnership with Ford.

In 1992, Kia Motors of America was officially introduced into the American Automotive industry. By one year after that, Kia had produced over 3 million vehicles.

Kia Motors of America only continued to grow. In 2006, the company broke ground on a $1 billion manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia. Today, Kia is the second largest Korean automotive company in the world.

From the production of bicycle parts to the automotive giant it is today, a lot about the Kia Motor Company has changed. However, the determination of the minds behind Kia has always remained an integral part of the Kia family.