Although in theory the Kia company was formed in 1944, it wasn’t until a new car manufacturing plant was completed in 1973 in South Korea, did it start to build motor cars with assistance from Ford. Even then the cars manufactured were branded mainly for Mazda and Ford. It wasn’t until 1994 that the first Kia branded cars were sold in the USA, but in 1997 a finical crisis meant Hyundai bought a huge stake in this struggling company. Since then with huge investment, Kia has changed its fortunes and certainly here in the UK, its reputation has improved with the introduction of the Kia Ceed a few years ago.
Although the USA has been the birth of Kia, it now has a presence around the world, with the Sportage and Sorrento 4×4 vehicles also getting new respect and build quality has improved. The main reason for not buying a Kia was its residual values, meaning you lost more money on value than you gained buying a cheaper new car. In reality, those buying second hand models, got great value for money once depreciation was lost, although this did not not promote new car sale. The newer models are seeing a reverse of this, although not to the levels of other more established motor car brands, ther 7 year warranty has certainly gone a long was to o give assurance to the brand.