Evolution of Automobiles

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History of Car
Invention of Wheels 6,500 ∼ 4,500 B.C.
Wheeled vehicle, Horse carriage
Clockwork motor, Designed by Leonard da Vinci
In 1769, The first steam powered vehicle was invented by Joseph Cugnot
In 1886, Karl Benz designed and built the first automobile to be powered by internal-combustion engine
In 1876, Nikolaus Otto invented internal-combustion engine
Development of Pneumatic Tire
The beginning of mass production by installing assembly line.
In 1944, Kia Motors founded.
T-600, First three-wheeled truck that mass-produced in Korea.
Brisa, The first best-selling sedan of Kia motors.
Pride, The People’s Car in Korea.
Sportage, The first compact SUV.
K3
K5
K7
K9
Sportage R
All New Carnival
All New Sorento
Kia Motors, One of global top 100 brands and still growing.
GT4 Stinger, The concept car of Kia’s future and enthusiasm.
Eco dynamics, For better future and safer environment.

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The development of Human History on Wheels

Humanity has always had something to ride. The oldest known wheel found in archaeological excavations is from Mesopotamia, and dates to around 3500 BC.

The invention of the wheel led to the creation of cars powered by domesticated animals.

Later, Leonardo da Vinci invented a cart powered by two springs. Though it looked very different from a modern-day automobile, it gave the people of the time tremendous inspiration for the future of self-propelled vehicles.

The Industrial Revolution and the Invention of the Automobile

In the 1700s James Watt invented a new source of power - the steam engine - which was fundamental to the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution.

In 1769, the world's first steam automobile was invented in France, opening up an era of self-propelled vehicles.

Subsequently, researchers
went on to invent smaller,
lighter and more efficient
power sources.

Internal Combustion Engines and Mass Production

Continued research and development efforts for better power sources led to the invention of an internal combustion engine similar to modern engines.

In 1886, Karl Benz, a German, invented the world's first gasoline powered automobile.

In 1895, the Michelin brothers of France invented pneumatic tires, which marked a sea-change in the history of automobiles.

In 1908, Ford developed a mass production method characterized by a conveyor belt.

This series of events intertwined to cause a paradigm shift in the way that automobiles were produced and, eventually, led to the birth of the modern-day automobile.

The origin of Wheeled Vehicles in Korea

When Korea became an independent country following Japanese colonization, there were almost no wheeled vehicles an individual could buy, except for ox carts.

Founded around that time under the name of Kyungsung Precision Industry, Kia was the first in Korea to make bicycles and later build motorcycles requiring no manual power to move. This marked the start of the dream of being Korea's first maker of four-wheeled automobiles.

Kia, the Pioneer of Korea's Automobile Industry

Kia launched the Kia Honda C-100 in 1961 after years of sustained efforts to develop a two-wheeled and a three-wheeled vehicle. Subsequently, it secured the capability to produce an original three-wheeled vehicle for the first time in Korea's automotive industry when it launched the Kia-Mazda K-360 in 1962.

The huge popularity of the K-360 provided us with the strength to start the second round of development of three-wheeled vehicles in 1967, successfully launching the Kia-Mazda T-2000 and T-6000 later on.

A Giant Leap towards Becoming a Global Automaker

Kia has offered many great models that gained huge popularity among local and international consumers, including the Brisa, the first originally developed passenger car in Korea dubbed the "People's Car"; the Pride, the first Korean car ever to reach production of 1 million units; and the Sportage, the world first passenger car-type SUV to complete the famed Paris-Dakar Rally.

Challenging Ourselves to Be a Better Global Brand

Since its foundation in 1944, Kia steadily grown into a truly global player with export revenues of 3 billion dollars and sales of over 2.8 million units per annum.

The joining of Peter Schreyer - one of the world's top 3 automotive designers - as the chief design officer of Kia marked the start of our drive to establish a market-leading design identity.

Meanwhile, our continued investment in R&D has enabled us to develop a full-lineup of vehicles across all segments as well as propelled Kia to the 69th position on Interbrand's annual list of 100 Best Global Brands.

Moving to the Forefront of Eco-friendly Technology

A cap on CO2 emissions from automobiles in Europe has been set at at 95g/km by 2020, and the U.S., China, Japan and Korea have subsequently followed suit to announce similar, tightened policies. Behind this move lies the concern that our planet is experiencing a rapid depletion of natural resources. The abundance of yesterday imposes responsibility on us today and demands change for the future of our children.
Based on our core technologies to ensure eco-friendliness and incessant technological innovation, we are ready to realize Kia's vision of 'Beyond Mobility' by making zero-emissions driving a part of everyone's daily life.

Learn about Eco dynamics

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Making the World a Happier Place to Live

Kia always works to develop more humane and eco-friendlier technologies and to achieve of our mission of contributing to making the world a better place by fulfilling our social responsibility and expanding frontiers. To do so, we have identified 'Mobility' and 'Challenge' as our shared values, and equal opportunity and pro-diversity as the guiding principles of our operations.

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