South Korean manufacturer Kia was established in 1944 but did not begin producing cars until 30 years later. Originally the company was set up as a maker of steel tubing and bicycle parts and in 1952 produced Korea’s first bicycle. By 1961 motorcycles were also included in the product line.
The Kia Brisa, the brand’s first car, was released in 1974. The previous year the company became the first Korean manufacturer to produce an internal combustion gasoline engine. In the years that followed much of Kia’s production was for other brands, particularly for the likes of Mazda, Peugeot and Fiat.
In 1987 Kia began producing its own models once more, though they were largely based on those of other brands. The Pride was introduced in 1991, being sold as the Ford Festiva in some markets as Ford partly owned Kia at the time.
As the product line expanded the company was able to establish itself around the world in the mid-1990s with the Sephia and Sportage models proving popular. By 1995 Kia had produced four million cars and exported one million. Questions were soon raised over the reliability and durability of the vehicles, though, and sales began to suffer.
Financial difficulties in 1997 contributed to the outbreak of the Asian Financial Crisis and the takeover of Kia by Hyundai. The larger company’s influence helped reverse Kia’s fortunes and the brands combined to from the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group.
EuroNCAP Safety Ratings for Kia cars
The European New Car Assessment Programme produces reports on the safety of vehicles based on the results of several crash tests. As well as measuring how the car will hold up in a crash the risk to a pedestrian struck by the car is assessed. The star ratings (maximum 5) of key Kia models are shown below.
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