HistoryIn 1944, Kia Motors Corporation of Seoul, Korea, was founded as a manufacturer of steel and bicycle parts (Kia.com). In the early 1950s, the company officially changed its name to Kia Industries and began producing Korea's first bicycle (Kia.com). In 1957 Kia began producing the first Korean scooter, the C-100 (Kia.com). The first Korean truck, the K-130, was introduced in 1962 (Kia.com). In 1971, the Titan, a 4-wheel cargo truck, was produced (Kia.com). In 1972, Kia established Kia Service Co. Ltd (Kia.com). Many other milestones occurred during the late 1970s, such as the opening of Korea's first fully integrated automotive plant, the production of Korea's first internal combustion engine, Kia began producing a gasoline engine and continued to introduce new vehicles (Kia.com). In 1984, the Kia Research and Development Center (Kia.com) was founded. The Kia name changed once again in 1990, to what we know today as Kia Motors, Inc (Kia.com). In the 1990s, an important event occurred in Kia's corporate life; Kia entered the US market (Kia.com). Three years later, in 1993, Kia opened a parts distribution center in California and signed a contract with the first twenty (20) dealers to sell vehicles in the United States (Kia.com). Kia grew rapidly and two years later, in 1995, Kia had one hundred (100) dealerships and was located in twenty (20) states across the United States (Kia.com). In 1999 Hyundai Business Group purchased Kia Motors Corporation (Kia.com). With this purchase, Kia Motors Corporation (Korea) began to make profits again as one of the largest companies that has become a success story (Kia.com). In 2000, Kia continues to sell a wide range of vehicles. They address a wide range of needs by offering less expensive economical solutions... middle of paper......st.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121885Gritzinger, B. (2009). Crossover for the common man. AutoWeek, 59(21), 27. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.ottawa.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=45132206&site=ehost-liveHammonds, D. (2010, January 15 ). The Detroit auto show demonstrates which automakers will be the strongest in the near future. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA), Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.ottawa.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W63128133447&site=ehost-live.Nielsen.com. (2010, March 31). Kia goes home with Nielsen's Top Auto Ad award. Retrieved from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/kia-rolls-home-with-nielsen%E2%80%99s-top-auto-ad-award/Uefa.com (2010, March 1). Hyundai-Kia official sponsor of ERUO 2012, 2016. Retrieved from http://www.uefa.com/uefa/events/marketing/news/newsid=1456922.html