When the Kia brand first arrived in the North American market, it has some problems delivering the quality desired by US drivers.
There were plenty of mechanics around the country that were able to take lucrative vacations by being the person to see when a Kia was having trouble because these vehicles seemed to spend more time in the repair shop than on the road. The one thing Kia had going for it at the time was the fact that the vehicles were bargain priced.
This brand was mired with complaints, was continually the bottom of the quality scale, and was the butt of jokes around the world. One of the most famous was a rental counter joke in which the person renting a car was told they were upgraded to a Kia to which he responds “What did you upgrade me from, shoes?” This was a tough time for Kia and it’s sister brand Hyundai in which both had to take a long look in the mirror in order to figure out how they needed to change.
The Billion-Dollar Investment
The Hyundai brand, which Kia is part of as a sibling brand, spend $1 billion to learn what they needed to do to move from being the bargain basement brand to become a brand that would begin to climb the ranks when it comes to initial quality. This was the single largest investment that was ever put forth to study quality and learn what to do to change things around. It was certainly going to be a long uphill battle, but it was one that these two brands were willing to take on in order to grow and become more respected in the market.
Now, what we see from Kia is a large selection of attractive SUVs and sedans that make up one of the most admirable lineups on the market. There are still some who remember the days of poor quality and bargain prices, but that’s becoming a smaller group with every passing year. As Kia continues to gain praise from those that look at the market for the quality standards we want to see from a vehicle, the reputation for attractive vehicles and impressive features in models that are easy to enjoy and affordable continues to grow.
The Kia brand turned their commitment from churning out cars just to get them on the road to a full array of quality testing that’s performed on every vehicle. This is different from some other automakers that might only test a handful of vehicles per batch. In fact this testing for defects and quality issues is typically only found in brands that sell vehicles that bring in a six-figure price tag, but Kia is committed to quality and that quality is something they expect to be able to offer every customer to make sure we have the right vehicle to drive and enjoy on the road.
Looking for a Kia or Hyundai model? Try out the Kia Soul or the Hyundai Elantra today.
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