The name Kia is derived by the Sino-Korean characters Ki (起), meaning “to arise”, and A (亞), a symbol for East Asia. Roughly translated Kia means “Rising in the East” much like the sun on the Korean flag. Indeed, Kia is one of South Korea’s economic crown jewels, and it has a history that extends all the way back to the 1940s. Kia’s origin can be traced back to South Korea’s Kyungsung Precision Industry, who produced the Nation’s first domestic bicycle, the Samchully in 1951. The manufacturing company would go on to produce licensed motorcycles and cars from other Asian brands like Mazda and Honda. They took what they learned from that task and went on to produce their own vehicles, these vehicles would see markets in other continents under more local brand names. Remember the Ford Festiva? That is actually the Kia Pride in its home country. Kia continued to grow until the Asian financial crisis of 1998, where they came to a shared ownership agreement with Hyundai in order to stay afloat. While Hyundai by 2020 still owns 33% of Kia, Kia in turn owns 22 different Hyundai Motor Company subsidiaries, with percentages ranging from 4.9% to 45%.

While Kia’s future was uncertain in 1998, they would go on to rise much like their namesake. Current Kia models are well known across the world for their reliability, in fact in 2016 they ranked first in the United States by J.D Power and Associates, marking the first time since 1989 a non-luxury brand had won the award. One of Kia’s comfortable yet off-road capable SUVs can be found on almost every suburban street. From the nimble Sportage, to the versatile Sorento, and the impressive Telluride. To bolster this lineup, Kia also introduced the Niro and Seltos, both designed with quality and comfort in mind. Since the 1980s Kia has always been a master of compacts, and the same can be said about their small car lineup as well. The Soul is spacious and efficient, with an EV version that is very popular in big cities and has a range to rival a Tesla Model 3. The Rio and Forte can be described as direct competitors with Honda’s Fit and Civic respectively. Kia’s entries into the sedan market are extremely exciting, with the Optima bringing next level refinement at an amazing price, and the award winning Stinger turning heads as the Korean car that can hang with the BMW M5. With success like Kia’s it’s no wonder why one can be found in nearly any Canadian parking lot, in summer and winter. Kia is an amazing example of how a company can grow from humble beginnings to a global phenomenon, and still be driven to provide a top quality experience through all the trials and tribulations. It’s a history such as this that drives us to succeed at CanadaWheels, and we hope all our customers feel the same about their experience with us. At CanadaWheels, we are committed to bringing all sorts of customers the optimal buying experience for their wheels, tires, parts, and accessories. In the same way that drivers have come to trust Kia, so can they trust us to provide a hands on experience that is efficient, affordable, and still loaded with passion for the road.

If you ever have a special request for your Kia, and you can’t find it within CanadaWheels’ inventory, we invite you to contact us. Our pros are always standing by during business hours to answer any questions you may have.

Give your vehicle the treatment it deserves, through CanadaWheels’ award winning fulfillment and support network, the Kia of your dreams is possible. Take control of your car’s wheel buying experience, and let us at CanadaWheels guide you into an optimized package that will meet your needs and keep your driving experience positive for years to come.