Kia 2002 Annual Report Download - page 39

1944 1979 ∙Assembly of Peugot 604 sedan commenced
∙Assembly of Fiat 132 sedan commenced
1973
1990
2000
Kia Motors staged a stunning turnaround after
the financial difficulties brought on by the for-
eign currency crisis of 1997. A company-wide
management overhaul following the crisis
achieved a complete normalization of manage-
ment, and in 2001 the company achieved its
highest annual profit since its foundation.
Kia is now preparing to join the ranks of the
world's top five car manufacturers by 2010.
2000
2002 ∙Carnival Common Rail marketed
∙Sorento luxury SUV marketed
∙Kia Q Service enters full operation
∙Diesel-pow ered Carens II marketed
∙Cumulative production reaches 10 million units
∙First Skill World Cup Competition held
∙Regal mid-size sedan marketed
∙Company aw arded 2002 Value
M anagement Aw ard
∙Upgraded compact sedan Rio SF marketed
∙Subsidiary companies established in
5 European countries
∙Company aw arded Grand Prize in
Korea Service Quality Aw ard
∙Sorento begins exports to overseas market
2000 ∙Kia Sportage completes Paris-Dakar Rally
∙BI logo introduced to w hole range of
Kia vehicles in domestic market
∙Spectra produced
∙Carens 2.0 Di LPG-pow ered vehicle produced
∙Optima mid-size sedan produced
∙Retona Cruiser jeep produced
∙Sportage w ins Baja 2000 Rally
1997 ∙Enterprise luxury sedan launched
∙Bongo Frontier produced
∙Sephia w ins China World Rally
∙Sephia II produced
∙Plant constructed for joint venture in China
∙Shuma mid-size sports sedan introduced
1998 ∙Carnival minivan produced
∙Credos II mid-size sedan produced
∙Frontier Tilting cap 1-ton truck produced
∙Parktow n multipurpose 7-passenger
w agon produced
∙Total exports to date reach 2 million units
1999 ∙Asan Bay Plant renamed to Hw asung Plant
∙Kia New Start 2000 event held
∙Exhibition of new models,
∙Visto compact car, Carstar RV and
M illennium Rio produced
2002 KIA MO TO RS AN N UAL REPORT
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1980 ∙Bongo Truck small cargo vehicle produced
1981 ∙Bongo Coach minibus produced
1983 ∙Ceres multipurpose farm truck produced
1986 ∙Besta minibus produced
∙Kia basketball team formed
∙Pride (Festiva) passenger car produced
1987 ∙First export of Pride model
∙Concord mid-size passenger car produced
1988 ∙Trade 2.5-ton truck produced
∙Rhino 5-ton truck marketed
∙Total vehicle production to date reaches
1 million units
1989 ∙Capital mid-size passenger car launched
1990
1991 ∙Sephia compact sedan and Sportage
SUV appear in 29th Tokyo M otor Show
1992 ∙Sephia and Potentia luxury sedan enter
commercial production
∙New company headquarters constructed
∙Kia Japan Corp. established
∙Kia M otors America established
1993 ∙Total vehicle production reaches 3 million units
Sportage enters commercial production
∙Comprehensive vehicle proving ground
constructed
1994 ∙Kia M otors celebrates 50th anniversary
∙Group corporate Identity revised
∙Avella (Aspire) enters production
∙Sephia and Sportage exported to U.S.A.
report
Annual
2002
History
Kia Motors
Since its foundation in 1944, Kia Motors has
devoted itself for more than half a century to the
sole purpose of personal mobility. Kia's product
development history extends from Korea's first
domestically produced bicycle through two-
wheel motorbikes, three-wheel vehicles, and
four-wheel-drive trucks, to the family car, telling
a story all its own.
1944 ∙Company founded as Kyungsung Precision
Industry
1952 ∙Company produces first Korean-made bicycle,
the Samcheolli model
1957 ∙Siheung Plant completed
1961 ∙C-100 motorcycle
enters production
1962 ∙K-360 3-w heel
truck introduced
1973 is a watershed in the history of Kia and
Korea's automobile history as it marks the open-
ing of the Sohari Plant and the start of mass pro-
duction. With it Kia introduced the nation's first
conveyor-system production line, set up a pro-
duction structure based on a single continuous
process, and produced the first four-wheel trucks
and cars to be made in Korea, thus breaking new
ground as an all-round vehicle manufacturer.
1971 ∙Kia Service Corp. established Titan and Boxer
four-w heel trucks enter production
1973 ∙Sohari factory built
∙Kia produces first Korean-made gasoline
engine (2,000cc)
1974 ∙Kia begins production of first Korean-made
passenger car, Brisa
1975 ∙First export of finished automobile
(Brisa pickup)
1976 ∙Take-over of Asia M otors Co.
1978 ∙Diesel engine enters production
1979 ∙Assembly of Peugot 604 sedan commenced
∙Assembly of Fiat 132 sedan commenced
In the 90s, Kia laid down a concrete plan of
action centered on a global management strate-
gy. With the construction of the Hwasung Plant,
the production system was expanded to an inter-
national scale, and by developing its own first
new model, Kia gained technological competi-
tiveness in the global market. A change of name
from Kia Industries to Kia Motors, along with a
new logo, helped bring Kia into the ranks of full-
line automobile manufacturers.
1990 ∙Asan Bay Plant constructed
∙Company name changed to Kia M otors Corp.
1980
The boom years for Kia Motors, the 1980s began
with landmark events including the assassination
of President Park Chung Hee and the second
world oil shock. But Kia turned crisis into oppor-
tunity as external events were used to spur inno-
vation and the achievement of unprecedented
growth through far-reaching cost reductions,
technological development, and a bold sales
strategy.
1995 ∙Credos (Clarus) mid-size sedan introduced
∙Tokyo R&D center opened
∙Pregio minibus produced
1996 ∙Sephia and Credos exported to Europe
Elan sports roadster produced
∙Kia Sihwa Research Center constructed
∙Total vehicle production reaches 5 million units
2001 ∙Carnival II marketed
∙Kia receives Korea HR management
award (12th)
∙Kia w ins grand prize in
Korea Quality M anagement Aw ard
∙Kia Tigers baseball team formed
Full entry into Chinese automobile market