Kia 2003 Annual Report Download - page 86

86 Kia Motors Corporation
History
1944
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-wheel truck introduced
1973
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-wheel trucks enter
production
1973 _ Sohari factory built
1973 _ 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 Motors Co.
1978 _ Diesel engine enters production
1979 _ Assembly of Peugot 604 sedan commenced
1979 _ Assembly of Fiat 132 sedan commenced
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.
1980 _ Bongo Truck small cargo vehicle produced
1981 _ Bongo Coach minibus produced
1983 _ Ceres multipurpose farm truck produced
1986 _ Besta minibus produced
1986 _ Kia basketball team formed
1986 _ Pride (Festiva) passenger car produced
1986 _ First export of Pride model
1986 _ Concord mid-size passenger car produced
1988 _ Trade 2.5-ton truck produced
1986 _ Rhino 5-ton truck marketed
1986 _ Total vehicle production to date reaches 1 million units
1989 _ Capital mid-size passenger car launched
1990
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
1990 _ Company name changed to Kia Motors Corp.
1991 _ Sephia compact sedan and Sportage SUV appear in 29th Tokyo Motor Show
1992 _ Sephia and Potentia luxury sedan enter commercial production
1990 _ New company headquarters constructed
1990 _ Kia Japan Corp. established
1990 _ Kia Motors America established
1993 _ Total vehicle production reaches 3 million units Sportage enters commercial
production