| Kia
Kia was was founded in South Korea in 1944 as manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycles. In 1952, Kia changed its name from Kyungsung Precision Industry, and later built motorcycles, trucks and cars, becoming South Korea's oldest car company. In partnership with Ford, Kia started producing several Mazda derived vehicles for Korean domestic sales as well as for export in 1986. Kia Motors America was incorporated in the United States in 1992. The first US bound Kia-branded vehicles were sold in February 1994 in Portland, Oregon. Since then, Kia expanded methodically one region at a time. Dealers in 1994 sold the Sephia, and a few years later the United States line expanded with the addition of the Sportage. However, the Asian financial crisis led to Kia's bankruptcy in 1997. In 1998 South Korean rival car company Hyundai outbid Ford (which had a stake in the company since 1986) to aquire the remnants of the company. Kia is now a subsidiary of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group. The American division is Kia Motors America. On October 20, 2006, Kia Motors America broke ground on its first US assembly plant located in West Point, Georgia. Since 2005, Kia has started focusing on the European market with great sucess and it is currently the UK's fastest growing car company.
http://www.kia.com/
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