The contemporary brand name is short but meaningful. It was created using two hieroglyphs: “a” (house, Asia) and “ki,” which denote upward movement and the start of continuous activity. The corporation employed numerous logos with varying colors and styles before realizing the potential of the automobile industry. The company significantly adjusted its identity when Kia obtained the well-known emblem of letters inside the oval in 1994. It changed and eventually vanished, making way for a simple, abstract word sign.
Of course, Kia is not an automotive brand. Kim Chul Ho introduced it to making nuts and started from there. A couple of years later, in 1944, he established a bicycle parts firm.
▶History of the Kia Logo 🌞
1953-1964
The Kyung Sung Precision Industry was renamed Kia Industries in 1953. This hardly affected its range; then, the company was still producing bicycle parts, and in only four years, it began profiled production of Honda motorcycles. However, the rebranding was indicated by a logo.
1964-1986
The engraving disappeared in 1964, while the badge became less complicated. The circle was green and had a corner edge on the top right (inverted Q-like) that very much appeared to be an abstract stylization of Kia’s “K,” which is only used in one form—vehicles sold exclusively for South Korea.
1986-1994
The company returned to automotive work in 1986. This company era came after an enforced break, with production shutting down by dictator Chun Doo-Hwan in 1981. The Kia Pride was the first car of the new millennium, ordered by Ford and Mazda.
1994-2012
In 1994, the company broadened its range with collaborations like the SUV Sportage and this familial car–the Mentor. The logo featuring the factory image was displayed for a moment in a red oval, but then it changed to read “KIA.” Most notably, there was no crossbar in the “A,” making it resemble an incomplete delta.
2012-2021
The badge then changed slightly again once Hyundai saved Kia from bankruptcy. The badge on the Sorento 4×4 and Picanto takes on a dark gray background. The official emblem has not been changed, but the red is much brighter.
2021-Present
The U.S.-market logo change has two aspects, mirroring the intended 2021 rollout of Vehiqi’s first flagship BEV model. We learned about this in late 2019 when it was revealed that Kia had trademarked applied for a new emblem conflating its three initials into an anchoring hub of lines and spheres.
