by Siddharth Raja

The Frankfurt Motor Show is still a couple of months away, but the trickle of pre-show teasers and announcements has already begun. The latest release is from Kia, which will be presenting a new 2+2 sports coupe concept at the September show designed and constructed at its Frankfurt design studio. Similar in size to the Audi TT, the unnamed concept is expected to hit production as a relatively cheap RWD sports car.

The new concept was penned by Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer as a follow up to his attractive ex_cee’d cabrio concept from March’s Geneva show. Schreyer, in fact, is in charge of reshaping Kia’s whole new brand identity and character and admits that he’s been given a rare opportunity to design a car with a clean sheet to work from.

There’s a lot riding on this latest concept because it’ll reveal the new face for Kia and is one of the first steps in its new product strategy of focusing on design. If the ex_cee’d cabrio is anything to go by, Kia’s new offerings are shaping up to be very exciting.

[Source: Kia]

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

Kia Motors (hangul: 기아자동차) is a South Korean automobile manufacturer with headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Its CEO is Chung Eui-sun. The American arm is Kia Motors America. On October 20, 2006, Kia Motors America formally hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its first US assembly plant in West Point, Georgia, at an initial cost of over $1 billion. The new plant will produce approximately 300,000 vehicles per year and create 5,000 jobs in the United States.

According to Kia Motors, the name “Kia” derives from the Hanja ki meaning arise or come up out of or rising up and the a stands for Asia. So Kia is roughly translated as arise or come up out of Asia or Rising out of Asia.[1][2]
South Korea’s oldest car company, Kia was founded in 1944 as manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycles. In 1952, Kia changed its name from Kyungsung Precision Industry[3] and later built motorcycles, trucks and cars. Starting in 1986, in partnership with Ford, Kia produced several Mazda derived vehicles for both domestic sales in Korea and imports into other countries. These models include the Pride (based on the Mazda 121) and Avella, which were sold in North America and Australasia as the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire.
In 1992, Kia Motors America was incorporated in the United States. The first Kia-branded vehicles in the United States were sold from four dealerships in Portland, Oregon in February 1994. 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.
Kia’s strategy of moving into the U.S. market region by region proved extremely successful and set a model for entering the U.S. market. In less than a decade, Kia surpassed even their most generous sales expectations to become a significant player in the U.S. auto market.
However, Kia’s bankruptcy in 1997, part of the Asian financial crisis, resulted in the company being acquired in 1998 by South Korean rival Hyundai Motor Company, outbidding Ford Motor Company which had owned an interest in Kia Motors since 1986. [4]
Kia is one of the most improved brands in the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study.
Since the start of 21st century, the company has started to recover and grow again - success came from the European market and today, Kia is Europe’s and particularly the UK’s fastest growing car company.
Kia’s amazing world-wide growth over the past ten years is partly to do with their major sponsorships of high-profile sporting events, such as the Australian Open tennis tournament.

Source: Wikipedia

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

by John Neff

The Kia ex_cee’d convertible (they call ‘em “cabrios” across the pond) concept has been announced as a bonofide debut for the Korean automaker at the Geneva Motor Show early next month. This puppy’s more important than a normal concept car from Kia because it was the first one produced under the stewardship of Peter Schreyer, Kia’s new design chief. As the name implies, the ex-cee’d is based on the three-door cee’d hatchback that’s scheduled to go on sale late 2007 or early next year. Schreyer makes a point to note that his concept doesn’t sport a folding metal roof like so many cabrios of the day, but rather adopts a traditional “romantic” soft top to protect its occupants from the elements. The 19-inch wheels feature “hubless” spokes finished in chrome, and bright metal trimwork is used around the exterior to add highlights to the vehicle’s surface. We especially like the chrome strip located beneath the doors that ensures the complex surfacing doesn’t get lost in the ‘meringue white’ paint job. Unfortunately, we can’t tell you what sort of engine powers the ex_cee’d because Kia didn’t tell us. Regardless, this concept is a coming out party for Kia design, which has matured so much in just a few short years.

Joining the ex_cee’d on the Kia stage in Geneva wil be the cee’d station wagon and the Kia Rio Hybrid. We’ll report back on all three from the show floor in early March.

[Source: Kia]

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!

by John Neff

The Autoblog staff was surprisingly impressed with the Kia Ronda that officially debuted at the 2006 LA Auto Show last week. The small people mover looks attractive, can seat up to seven with an optional third-row, and will come with Kia’s standard battery of safety features and a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. Our jet lag from the LA Auto Show has hardly subsided and Kia has already announced that Rondos are on their way to dealers and they’re priced to sell. The base Rondo, fittingly called the Rondo Base, starts at a reasonable $16,995 and includes 16-inch alloy wheels, airbags everywhere you look and electronic stability control. A/C, however, is a $900 option. Next up we have the midrange LX model with both an inline four-cylinder engine starting at $18,495 and a tiny 2.7-liter V6 at $19,795. The range topper is the EX, which with the four-cylinder starts at $19,795 and the V6 at $20,795. That’s as high as her base price will go. Check out our original post on the Kia Rondo’s debut here, which includes all the info you could ever want on the Korean automaker’s newest model.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

If you would like immediate updates, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!