Kia Motors headquartered in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, is South Korea's second-largest automobile manufacturer

Automaker

The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....

, following the Hyundai Motor Company

Hyundai Motor Company

Hyundai Motor Company is a Korean multinational automaker based in Seoul, South Korea which, along with Kia, comprises the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the world's fourth largest automaker as of 2009. As of 2011, it is the world's fastest growing automaker for two years running...

, with sales of over 1.4 million vehicles in 2010. The company is partly owned by the Hyundai Motor Group and since August 2009 has been led by Hyoung-Keun (Hank) Lee.

The word Kia derives from Korean words meaning "to arise to the world from Asia".
According to Kia Motors, the name "Kia" derives from the Sino-Korean words ki ("to come out") and a (which stands for Asia), it is roughly translated as "arise or come up out of Asia" or "rising out of Asia".

More literally, Kia is a Persian name meaning king, protector, and defender, which may also to attribute homage to over 2500 year legacy of Persian monarchy and civilization at the cultural crossroads of the Silk Road

Silk Road

The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...

 that historically connected East and West.