page_title: Kia Motors
section_title: Kia Motors America
hierarchical_section_title: Kia Motors / Affiliations and subsidiaries / Kia Motors America
caption_attribution_description: English: 2018 Kia Sportage GT-Line ISG 1.6
context_page_description: Kia Motors Corporation, commonly known as Kia Motors is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul. It is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer following the Hyundai Motor Company, with sales of over 2.8 million vehicles in 2019. As of December 2015, the Kia Motor corporation is minority owned by Hyundai, which owns a 33.88% stake valued at just over US$6 billion. Kia in turn is a minority owner of more than twenty Hyundai subsidiaries ranging from 4.9% up to 45.37%, totaling more than US$8.3 billion.
context_section_description: Kia Motors America, Inc. (KMA) was incorporated in California on October 21, 1992 and became the American sales, marketing, and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation. KMA is based in Irvine, California, and currently offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 755 dealers throughout the United States. The first two models that were introduced to the U.S. Market in 1993 were KIA Sephia and KIA Sportage 4x4. In the United States, sales began in late 1993 for the 1994 model year. The two models most recently introduced to the U.S. market have both been highly awarded during the short time since their launch: the 2018 Stinger performance sedan gained recognition with J.D. Power's inaugural Engineering Award for Highest Rated All-New Vehicle as well as Business Insider's Car of the Year Award, then the 2020 Telluride made its mark several times over by winning major awards from review organizations like Kelley Blue Book, MotorTrend, Hispanic Motor Press (www.hispanicmotorpress.org)also awarded the Telluride as the best SUV for 2020, and most recently Edmunds.
  As a brand, KMA has continued to improve over the years as well; in 2013, Kia Motors America recorded its 18th consecutive year of increased U.S. market share, and for the past five consecutive years (2015-2019) it has been recognized by J.D. Power as the highest ranked mass market brand in initial quality.
  In November 2009, Kia started production at the first U.S. Kia Motors plant, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, in West Point. Though the Kia Sorento crossover vehicle was the only model to be assembled there at first, the facility has since expanded its production lines to include the Kia Optima mid-size sedan in 2011 and the just-launched Kia Telluride crossover SUV in January 2019. As of September 2019, the location has successfully built over 3 million units of these three models altogether, and shortly after celebrated another milestone by reaching its 10th year of production in November 2019. Currently, the facility has a production capacity of 340,000 vehicles per year (largely dedicated to the Telluride and Sorento crossover SUVs) and is responsible for distributing them to hundreds of dealerships in the US and Canada, as well as fulfilling shipments across North America and even overseas.
caption: Kia Sportage
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