Kia

Kia Motors was founded in 1944 as the Kyungsung Precision Industry and is considered South Korea's oldest automakers. Kyungsung first manufactured bicycles and steel tubing; later, it switched to bicycles, cars, and trucks. Kyungsung would change its name to Kia (translated roughly as "arise" or "Rising out of Asia") in 1952.

The Ford Aspire is Kia's first vehicle sold in the U.S. which it co-produced with Ford Motor Co. Kia's first wholly own U.S. vehicle was the Kia Sephia which debuted in 1994.

Kia Motors went bankrupt in 1997 where it was quickly swallowed up by Hyundai Motor Co. to create the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group.

Many of today's Kia's are rebadged versions of Hyundai vehicles. Some of the more well-known Kias include the Kia Spectra (Hyundai Elantra), Sportage SUV (Hyundai Tuscan); and Sedona minivan (Hyundai Entourage). Some of the brand's future plans include the all-new Soul crossover; the ex_cee'd convertible; and an Audi TT competitor. While a production version of the Soul is scheduled to debut and go on sale next year, there is no word yet if the convertible has been approved for sale. The unnamed TT competitor will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this year.