Kia didn’t start out as an automobile manufacturer. Originally founded in 1944 as Kyungsung Precision Industry, the company made and sold hand-crafted bicycle parts and steel pipes. From there, it moved on to making complete bicycles, and eventually, motorcycles. In 1952, the company became Kia Motors and it wasn’t long before it began producing commercial buses and trucks. By 1973, Kia was turning enough profit to open its first assembly plant, where it produced the Maza-derived Brisa line. Only 26 cars were manufactured in 1986, but that number soared to 95,000 the next year. Today, Kia is a subsidiary of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group.