Kia Cars: A Korean Revolution and a worldwide favourite
By Fei Lim

Kia Motors is a South Korean-owned and headquartered motor vehicle manufacturing company. The company has been producing fine motor cars since 1944 and has created jobs for hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world.

Strangely enough, when Kia first came into existence, they had nothing to do with designing and manufacturing motor vehicles, at least, not in a direct way. They started out making bicycles and manufacturing tubes made of steel. So how they got to the car manufacturing industry is quite a complicated story, indeed.

You might know Kia for some of the popular models they have out today, like the new compact Kia Optima, the equally tiny Kia Rio, or even the petite Kia Sephia. Kia has a reputation for designing small, compact cars that are easy to manoeuvre and get around rather quickly. But they also design larger, more sports-utility-vehicle related cars, such as the ever-popular Kia Sportage. They have found a way to fill a variety of niches and fulfill a lot of needs that potential Kia owners have, and this has made them one of the more popular car manufacturers in the world.

Funny enough, Kia has become so popular and well known that they have also partnered with other manufacturers to expand their horizon and their fan base. Mazda and Hyundai have both been known to be affiliated with Kia Motors, so if the Kia models that you see look similar to Hyundai or Mazda cars that are on the road, that is the reason why.

How did Kia come into contact with these other companies? The truth is that Kia and Hyundai came together by an unfortunate chance. Kia experienced some tough times financially when some Asian businesses went through a massive economic crisis. Kia declared formal bankruptcy and the business was actually acquired by the Hyundai Company. The discussions were between Ford and Hyundai and Hyundai won out in the end, although Kia and Ford had some business ties as it was and Ford was interested in acquiring the Kia Motor company.

Since the acquisition of Kia by the Hyundai motor company, they have released a number of well known passenger cars and sports utility vehicles. As it is with any business endeavour, Kia has endured some trying times financially, with dealerships closing and re-opening and closing again all over the country. However, through all of their financial successes and pitfalls, the Kia motor company has managed to put together a formidable company in the automobile industry.

Kia has put together such wildly popular vehicles as the ever-sporty Kia Sportage, the main SUV in Kia's line of vehicles. Along with the Kia Sportage, the SUV side of Kia also includes the Kia Bongo, the Kia Topic, and the Kia Towner.

If you are interested in Kia motor cars but SUVs just aren't your thing, maybe you should check out some of the regular, rather luxurious passenger cars that Kia has put out, like the ever popular Kia Optima or the petite Kia Sephia. Not only are these cars small and quick, but they are economically sound when it comes to gas prices.

Like any other real business, the Kia motor company has certainly had its successes and failures, but through it all, they have managed to remain a force to be reckoned with in the automobile industry. You can find Kia cars all over the United States from the East coast to the West coast, from Canada to Mexico, and all over the world. They are reputed for creating fine, safe vehicles that people on an average budget can afford, and that is the most important thing for consumers.