Kia is now one of the most common badges in Australian driveways, but for a long time it was the brand people bought because it was cheap. The change from budget import to mainstream choice took about three decades, and a long new car warranty played a big part in it.
This refreshed Kia Australia history replaces the original version of this post, which was mostly an out-of-date model list with old prices. It covers where Kia came from, how it arrived here and what it sells now. Every figure below is checked against a cited source.
From bicycle parts to cars
Kia was founded in May 1944 as Kyungsung Precision Industry, a maker of steel tubing and bicycle parts 1. In 1951 it produced South Korea's first locally made bicycle 1. A year later it took the name Kia Industries 1.
Motor vehicles came step by step. Kia began building small Honda-licensed motorcycles in 1957 and Mazda-licensed light commercial vehicles in 1962 1. Its first integrated car assembly plant opened at Sohari in 1973 1. The Brisa small car followed in 1974, based on a Mazda design 1.
The Ford and Mazda years
The young car business hit a wall in 1981, when a government consolidation of the industry forced Kia to stop making passenger cars and stick to light commercial vehicles 1. It returned to cars in 1986 in partnership with Ford, building Mazda-derived models such as the Pride 1.
Some of those cars reached Australia under another badge. Kia-built Pride and Avella models were sold in Australia and New Zealand as the Ford Festiva and Ford Aspire 1. Many Australians drove a Kia in that era without knowing it.
In 1990 the company became Kia Motors Corporation, and in 1993 the Sephia and the Sportage became its first models in the United States 1.
Bankruptcy and the Hyundai rescue
The Asian financial crisis hit Kia hard. It declared bankruptcy in 1997, and in 1998 Hyundai Motor Company bought a 51 per cent stake 1. The two brands have been part of the same group ever since.
A design-led revival followed. In 2006 Kia appointed a new chief design officer, a sign of how much weight the company was putting on the look of its cars 1. In January 2021 the company dropped "Motors" from its name to become Kia Corporation and adopted a new logo 1. The older oval logo pictured here is the one most Australians grew up with.
How Kia arrived in Australia
Kia's own account is that it entered Australia in 1988 with the Rocsta, a small four-wheel drive 2. For years after that the brand was a small player sold through independent distributors.
The Mentor small car was an important early model. The second generation was put together largely from Mazda 323 components with a larger body, and after a change of distributor in mid-2000 it was renamed the Shuma, before the Spectra took over in May 2001 3.
Kia's growth was slow at first. About a decade before 2019 there were just over 150,000 Kias on Australian roads, mostly small cars owned by private buyers 5. By 2019 that had grown to nearly half a million 5.
The warranty that changed the brand
The turning point came on 1 October 2014, when Kia introduced a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre new car warranty across its whole Australian range 4. It came with seven years of capped-price servicing and up to seven years of roadside assistance, renewed each year when the car is serviced by an authorised Kia dealer 4. The warranty also passes to later owners who meet the program's conditions 4. It replaced an existing five-year program, and owners already on that program were moved to the longer plan automatically 4. In 2014, standard warranties in Australia were three or five years 5.
At the time Kia was selling about 30,000 cars a year here, with a market share of about 2.7 per cent, and it wanted to reach 5 per cent 4. The plan worked:
- in 2015 Kia's sales rose by 20 per cent, its best year to that point 5;
- in 2016 sales rose by 26 per cent and Kia joined the top ten brands 5;
- in 2019 it was the only top ten brand to increase its sales 5.
Global Fleet also reported that Kia's Australian managers, not head office, decide which models come here, how they are specified and which options are offered 5.
Kia Australia today
The sales milestones have come faster since. Kia reached 500,000 Australian sales in 2018, about three decades after it arrived, and it doubled that total in just seven years 2. In 2024 it sold more than 80,000 vehicles in a single year for the first time 2. Its dealers have done well by the brand too: Kia topped the national Dealer Satisfaction Survey in 2022 2. In September 2025 it announced its one millionth Australian sale, a Tasman dual-cab ute 2.
In the full 2025 year Kia was the fourth biggest brand in Australia, with 82,105 sales and a 6.8 per cent share of the market 9. Globally, Kia set a sales record of 3,135,803 vehicles in 2025 1.
Kia's range here runs from the Picanto city car to the Carnival people mover, which Kia describes as Australia's best selling people mover, along with a growing number of electrified models 2.
Performance and electric cars in the Kia Australia history
Two models did a lot to change how Australians saw the brand.
The Stinger
The Stinger was a rear-wheel-drive performance sedan that ran in production from October 2017 to April 2023 7. Its 3.3-litre twin-turbo V6 produced 272 kW and 510 Nm 7. In 2018 the Queensland and Tasmanian police adopted the Stinger 330S as a road policing car, replacing locally built Falcons and Commodores 7. Western Australia Police also ran a 2018 Stinger GT 7. For a Korean brand once known for cheap small cars, seeing its sedan in police livery was a striking change.
Kia announced the end of the Stinger in October 2022, citing declining worldwide demand 7. Australia kept buying it to the end: 2,242 were sold here in 2022 and 1,806 in 2023 7. Used Stingers now turn up regularly for sale, and they remain one of the more interesting Kias to look for.
The EV6
The EV6 was Kia's first car built on the Hyundai group's dedicated electric platform, known as E-GMP, and it was named European Car of the Year for 2022 8. It went on sale in Australia on 25 February 2022, and a high-performance GT version arrived in January 2023 8. A facelifted EV6 with a larger 84 kWh battery went on sale here on 14 January 2026 8. On the original model, the listed peak DC fast-charging rates were 180 kW with the 58 kWh battery and 240 kW with the 77.4 kWh battery 8. Those are peak figures, so real charging times depend on the charger you plug into and the state of the battery.
If you are thinking about an electric Kia, our guide to how long an electric car takes to charge explains what to expect at home and on the road.
The Tasman: a ute with Australia in mind
The biggest recent addition is the Tasman, Kia's ute. It is named after the Tasman Sea, and Kia said the name reflects how important Australia and New Zealand are to it 6. It was unveiled on 29 October 2024, simultaneously at a motor show in Saudi Arabia and in Hobart 6. Kia Australia said it had a major involvement in developing the vehicle 6.
The Tasman went on sale here on 17 April 2025, with deliveries starting in July 6. Two engines are offered 6:
- a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 207 kW and 421 Nm 6;
- a 2.2-litre turbo diesel with 154 kW and 440 Nm 6.
Its braked towing capacity is 3,500 kg, the same as the segment's best sellers 6. That puts it up against a very strong rival: the Ford Ranger was Australia's best selling vehicle in 2025, with 56,555 sales 9. Our Ford Ranger review covers the benchmark the Tasman has to beat.
Buying a Kia new or used
Kia's long warranty is a real advantage on the used market, because it transfers to later owners who meet the conditions 4. If you are buying a used Kia, ask for the service history, check how many years of the original warranty remain and confirm that servicing has kept it valid.
Other checks are the same as for any brand. Look up the exact model and year on the ANCAP website for independent crash test results 10. If you are shopping for a small SUV, our guide to choosing the best small SUV explains what to compare, and our car loan calculator helps you work out repayments before you talk finance.
Kia's story also overlaps with Mazda's, since several early Kias were built from Mazda designs. Our history of Mazda in Australia tells that side. When you are ready, browse cars for sale on Car Domain and read our buying safety tips first.
For the wider company story, the Kia entry on Wikipedia is a good summary. GoAuto's report on the launch of the seven-year warranty shows how the 2014 change was framed at the time.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Kia, accessed 2 November 2026
- Hyundai Motor Group, Kia Celebrates Millionth Sale in Australia, Underscoring Strong Market Growth, accessed 2 November 2026
- GoAuto, Kia Mentor, accessed 2 November 2026
- GoAuto, Kia launches industry-first seven-year warranty, accessed 2 November 2026
- Global Fleet, The Rise and Rise of Kia Australia, accessed 2 November 2026
- Wikipedia, Kia Tasman, accessed 2 November 2026
- Wikipedia, Kia Stinger, accessed 2 November 2026
- Wikipedia, Kia EV6, accessed 2 November 2026
- NRMA, New car sales 2025: Australia's best-selling vehicles revealed, accessed 2 November 2026
- ANCAP, ANCAP Safety, accessed 2 November 2026
