Kia sounds surprisingly playful for a car manufacturer's name and as the brand's tag line reads, they really are all about the power to surprise. In fact, the Korean car builder has done so from its very inception in 1944 when it began as a steel tubing and bicycle parts producer. Six years later, Kia would reveal Korea's first bike.
Once the first step was made, Kia rushed through the process of developing light means of transport, such as scooters and fast forwarded through motorcycle building upon the point of reaching the necessary resources and experience to start building cars. The whole conversion process took Kia about two and a half decades to complete.
The somewhat bland styling was not exactly what buyers were looking for in a car either so both had to undergo costly restructuring stages. Kia found itself rejuvenated by 2001 when, following its owner's example, it started working on a new vehicle line-up with an emphasis on quality and long-warranty offerings. Ever since, Kia has been steadily conquering segments of the European market, especially through the Cee'd, Sorento and Rio models. The development of newer, bolder designs is also among Kia's priorities, predating a future line-up with the announcement of concepts such as the Soul, unveiled at the Montreal auto show in 2006 and the Kee, a fresh coupe boasting strongly appealing style elements. |
