Used Kia Cars in PA
Kia Motors is a Korean automaker that caters to budget-minded consumers. The
company's new vehicles are typically priced below competing models and represent
a very good value when taking into consideration their high feature content and
substantial warranty coverage.
Founded in Korea in 1944, Kia started as a producer of steel tubing and
bicycle parts. The company's name has its roots in the Chinese language, and
means "to arise, to come up out of Asia." By the early 1950s, the company had
produced Korea's first bicycle; by the latter part of the decade, Kia had
branched out into motor scooters, with the rollout of the C100.
Kia began selling vehicles in the U.S. under its own marquee in the early
'90s, trumpeting its presence with the introduction of the Sephia. The car's
rollout was gradual; in the early days of its production, the Sephia was only
available in selected Western states. By the mid-'90s, SUVs had emerged as a
phenomenally popular vehicle category, coveted by drivers for their roominess
and versatility; Kia caught this wave with the introduction of its Sportage SUV
in 1995. By the end of the '90s, Kia's nationwide rollout was complete, with
dealerships in every state but North Dakota.
Financial difficulties in the late '90s prevented Kia from expanding its
lineup, and Hyundai, Korea's other major automaker, acquired the company in a
merger in 1998. Since then, Kia has introduced several new models and now has
something to offer virtually every budget-minded buyer in the U.S. market. Kia
has been on an upswing since its purchase by Hyundai, with improvements in build
quality and overall refinement. Reliability had previously been a weak point,
but improvements in that area and the initiation of a substantial warranty
program in 2001 have bolstered the company's reputation with consumers.
Find Used Kia Cars in Pennsylvania
Kia did not enter Europe's large family car market until the launch of its
Credos four-door sedan in 1999. This car was similar in size to the Ford Mondeo,
but on its launch was actually cheaper to buy than the smaller Focus. It had a
spacious interior, large boot, competitive asking price and high equipment
levels, but it had little more appeal to sway buyers away from established
European brands like Ford Motor Company, Vauxhall/Opel, Renault and Peugeot. Kia
entered the MPV market in 1999 with the Sedona. On its launch, it was the
cheapest full-size people carrier on sale in the United Kingdom.
2004 saw the commencement of European imports for the Kia Picanto city car.
It has proved very popular with budget buyers in most of Europe.
As of 2007, Kia has been importing cars to Europe for 16 years. The range has
gradually expanded over that time so the marquee has a competitor in just about
every sector except for the luxury and sports market. Sales of its products have
so far failed to match those of established European brands, but current sales
records have been impressive for a marquee which only arrived in Europe at the
start of the previous decade. Find more information on Used Kia Cars on
KBB.com