Kia

The South Korean car manufacturing firm was established in 1944. The main factory, as well as the headquarters, is located in Seoul. At the beginning of its activity, the company produced bicycles (1952). A little later, it was decided to retrain the company's activities for the production of scooters. The company was renamed Kia Corp. in 1971. Its automotive career began in 1977 when the first car was assembled under a Mazda license. As part of the expansion of production, a little later, the company acquired the automobile company Asia Motors Co. In 1998, the company name was changed again to Kia Motors Corp. In the late 90s, the concern was involved in a local financial crisis. Hyundai came to the rescue by buying its controlling stake.