Kia

Kia was founded in 1944 in Seoul, South Korea, originally manufacturing steel tubing and bicycle parts before producing its first complete vehicle in 1974. The brand grew steadily through the decades, gaining global scale after Hyundai Group acquired a controlling stake in 1998 following a financial crisis. Kia's dramatic transformation under chief design officer Peter Schreyer from the mid-2000s onwards replaced a bland image with genuine design ambition. Today Kia is one of the world's fastest-growing and most-awarded automotive brands.