Kia is independent. It owns itself.

82 years, one owner

The year is coloured by whoever held it at the time.

1. 1944 Kia was founded in December 1944 as Kyungsung Precision Industry, a maker of bicycles and bicycle parts such as tyres, pedals and saddles; Kia's own investor information gives 11 December 1944 as the date of establishment.
2. 1997 Kia collapsed in the Asian financial crisis: in July 1997 it was given a court-arranged standstill agreement, and in October 1997, three months later, it was placed under court receivership. This is the failure, not the change of owner, which came a year afterwards.
3. 1998 Hyundai Motor was selected in October 1998 as the winning bidder for Kia, in the third international auction run under Kia’s court receivership, after outbidding Ford; Hyundai Motor subscribed to Kia’s capital increase in March 1999 for about 30 per cent, and the widely quoted 51 per cent was the Hyundai side in aggregate rather than any one company’s holding.