Kia: The Nose of the Tiger, Stalking its Prey
You all remember the classic book for children entitled “The Little Engine That Could,” by Watty Piper. If ever a book perfectly summarized the history of carmaker Kia Motors, that book does.
The Korean automaker began from humble beginnings, originally producing steel tubing and bicycle parts in 1944. Eventually they branched out into the production of bicycles by the 1950’s and in the ‘60’s they were making motor scooters. Whether or not it was a natural progression to make automobiles is a matter of debate, but that is indeed what they did in 1973 at their Sohari plant. In 1974 Kia unveiled the Brisa, their first passenger car.
Kia entered the U.S. market in 1994 with the Sephia but the company really made a name for itself in 1995 with the introduction of the Sportage SUV, one of the first SUV’s on the market and wildly popular as the SUV craze spread. Financial difficulties occurred but after a merger with Hyundai, Korea’s other automaker, the company righted itself and has been on the upswing ever since.
Make no mistake about it, the Kia family of vehicles are economical to purchase and drive and they have found a nice niche in the American marketplace. As with most new products there were production problems early on in the Kia story and reliability was not a strong suit for their early cars. Technological improvements over the ensuing years have had the desired effect, however, and since 2005 the Kia lineup has consistently scored well in reliability ratings. In 2007 they were rated the 5th most reliable family of cars on the road and in 2010 all six new models scored well. In 2009 Kia Motors recorded their 15th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share. Indeed, the little engine that could proved it belonged among elite company.
2006 marked a shift in emphasis towards design based on the belief that no one could tell the difference between a Kia and the Japanese cars on the market. Since 2009 all Kia vehicles have had the distinctive “Tiger Nose,” a unique front grille that makes the Kia brand instantly recognizable.
Because of the increased sales over the years, finding used auto parts for the Kia brand is not difficult at all. All major auto parts stores carry Kia replacement parts as well as the majority of salvage yards. Keep in mind that until 2005 reliability was an issue with Kia parts, but any reputable auto parts store or salvage yard has a guarantee on their products so even that shouldn’t be an issue when buying Kia replacement parts.
“The Little Engine That Could” became the Tiger Nose that did, a very nice success story for this former bicycle manufacturer.
