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Kia is South Korea's oldest and second largest car manufacturer. The company, originally called the Kyungsung Precision Industry, was founded in June 1944 to produce steel tubing and hand-made bicycle parts. They progressed to complete bicycles in 1951, before the name change in 1952 indicated a major alteration of intent.
'Kia' references a literal meaning, to arise from or come from Asia'. The Sino-Korean words 'ki' meaning 'to come out' and 'a' indicating 'Asia'. However 'Kia' also alludes to secondary attributes from the Persian name 'Kia' - king protector and defender - derived from Korea's place at the end of the Silk Road the great trade route from East to West for over 2500 years. Kia model names in the consumer and defence markets take their inspiration from this root meaning.
