Some people consider Hyundai and Kia to be simply rebadged versions of the same cars. The two brands do have a close relationship, despite the fact that this is not the case. Hyundai acquired Kia in 1998 and now owns 51% of the business. The two corporations are now regarded as sisters because that share has decreased to around a third.
Hyundai and Kia frequently use one another’s vehicle platforms as a result of their tight cooperation. Do the cars from both brands have the same engines?
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Are Hyundai and Kia produced by the same company?
Actually, no. Hyundai is not the same manufacturer as Kia. Since Hyundai Motor Group is their parent firm, they resemble one another more as corporate sisters. Therefore, even though vehicles like the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade have similar platforms and structural elements, they are still distinct brands that can stand alone.
In actuality, Kia’s shareholding by Hyundai Motor Group was reduced by 2013. Both brands continued to produce moving forward within Hyundai Motor Group. In the end, Kia gained fame in the British market. has earned credibility as a mainstream brand in the North American market. Likewise, Hyundai. Every year, each brand receives recognition and prizes.
Since 2015, a number of Hyundai Motor Group entities have been partially owned by Kia. While Hyundai and Kia are not the same manufacturer today, they do share a common objective. The focus should be on mobility’s future.
What ties Hyundai and Kia together?
No one would blame you if you believed Kia and Hyundai were the same as Acura and Lexus were owned by automakers like Honda and Toyota. Hyundai technically owns one-third of Kia, making it the automaker’s parent company. They are two independent businesses, despite sharing platforms, engines, and other components.
With the exception of pickups and sports cars, both Kia and Honda provide a full range of automobiles. They provide some of the longest warranties to their clients, with a limited powertrain warranty that lasts up to 10 years or 100,000 miles. With a selection of sedans, SUVs, and trim levels to choose from, Kia and Hyundai also provide a vehicle for practically everyone.
Portfolio of brands and positioning
Both Hyundai and Kia have advanced tremendously over the past 20 years, shattering any lingering perceptions of the subpar, inexpensive, and cheery vehicles they both produced in the 1990s. These advancements have been made possible by stunning designs, dramatic quality improvements, and the use of cutting-edge technologies.
Hyundai and Kia are both positioned equally in the market as mainstream brands competing head-to-head with companies like Toyota and Mazda, unlike Volkswagen and its sister brands.
In a rough sense, it may also be said that Hyundai has recently exhibited more conservative designs, while Kia has historically exhibited a more dynamic design language.
With its lineup of N models, including the i20, i30, and Kona N, Hyundai is the only one of the two to have a dedicated performance sub-brand.
Kia offers GT-Line and GT variants, but has used these names in a more haphazard manner.
Although Hyundai and Kia each have a sizable selection of vehicles, neither manufacturer is present in every market.
Micro and light automobiles (Kia Picanto and Rio), medium (Hyundai Sonata), big cars (Kia Stinger), and vans are segments in which one brand currently serves Australia exclusively (Hyundai iLoad).
While Kia is unable to introduce its similar Telluride here due to the lack of a right-hand drive variant, Hyundai also offers the huge Palisade in the large SUV class.
Although Hyundai theoretically only owns a small portion of Kia, realistically both brands share mechanical parts, such as the chassis, powertrain, and infotainment systems.
The interior and external designs, as well as the final technical adjustments made to the cars, are what differentiate them most.
One area where the two manufacturers do differ is in the after-sales service; whereas Hyundai gives a five-year, unlimited-mileage guarantee with five years of capped price servicing, Kia offers a standard seven-year, unlimited-mileage warranty and seven years of capped price servicing.
Hyundai and Kia Brand Comparison
There are many parallels between Hyundai and Kia. Both companies are situated in South Korea and have comparable product lines. In actuality, Hyundai Motor Company owns 34% of Kia Motors. Many of these vehicles share engineering, platforms, and powertrains. Hyundai and Kia, however, run their businesses separately. Each brand continues to operate its own design studios, engineering team, sales team, and marketing division. Having said that, there are really more positive similarities between the two brands than negative ones, which is good. Both manufacturers produce luxurious cars with excellent warranties that their owners adore. Nevertheless, it’s important to be aware of these minor variations so that you can make an educated decision.
Are Hyundai and Kia affiliated businesses?
Although Kia and the Hyundai Motor Group are separate companies, Kia Motors is a subsidiary of Hyundai. The distinction between Kia and Hyundai is that each company has its own brand ideologies to build its vehicles in a distinctive way.
Is Hyundai acquiring Kia?
The South Korean multinational automaker Kia Corporation, often known as Kia (Korean: gia; Hanja: Qi Ya; RR: Gia; MR: Kia, IPA: [ki.a]; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is based in Seoul. With sales of more than 2.8 million vehicles in 2019, it surpassed its parent firm, Hyundai Motor Company, to become South Korea’s second-largest automaker. Hyundai has a 33.88% share in the Kia Corporation as of 2015[update], valued at just over US$6 billion, making it the minority owner of the company. The ownership stake Kia holds in more than twenty Hyundai companies, which is worth more than US$8.3 billion, ranges from 4.9% to 45.37%.
Who produces the motors for Kia vehicles?
Hyundai and Kia produce their own engines, and a recent manufacturing fault may result in the premature death of more than 1 million of those engines.
For the same problem, Hyundai and Kia made separate recall announcements. About 572,000 examples of the 2013-2014 Santa Fe and 2013-2014 Sonata are included in Hyundai’s recall. About 618,160 units of the 2011-2014 Optima, 2012-2014 Sorento, and 2011-2013 Sportage are included in Kia’s recall.
One of two engines—a 2.4-liter, direct-injected, naturally aspirated I4 or a 2.0-liter, turbocharged I4—powers each of the involved vehicles. The motors’ various production dates range from 2010 to 2014.
The problem is due to manufacturing mistakes. It appears that metal debris in the crankshaft oil passageways wasn’t properly wiped out, and a second mistake led to surface roughness in the crankpins (crank journals). The connecting rod bearings, which enable the connecting rods to move freely, may receive less oil as a result of these two issues.
The engine may begin to knock as the bearing ages from contacting a rough surface without lubrication. The engine may seize up and be doomed to the scrap heap if the driver doesn’t understand what’s wrong and the bearings fail. If the engine seizes while the car is moving, it also poses a safety risk.
In May, notice will be given to dealers and owners, the latter by first-class mail. Owners must visit the dealership so that mechanics can examine and perhaps replace the engine. Owners who have previously paid for repairs must follow certain procedures in order to receive reimbursement from Hyundai or Kia.
Who purchased Kia?
The major automakers with present presences in the United States are listed below, along with the brands they sell.
BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce are all owned by BMW Group. Smart and Mercedes-Benz are owned by Daimler AG. Lincoln and Ford are owned by Ford Motor Co. Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac all belong to General Motors. Hummer is back as a GMC subsidiary brand. In order to co-develop EVs, GM and Honda have an official collaboration. Acura and Honda are owned by Honda Motor Co. It collaborates with GM. Sony Honda Mobility is the name of the electric vehicle firm they founded with Sony. Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia are all owned by Hyundai Motor Group. Mazda is owned by Mazda Motor Corp. Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Infiniti are all owned by the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Following the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Peugeot S.A., a new company called Stellantis was created. According to the explanation, the word is derived from the Latin verb “stello,” which means “to dazzle with stars.” Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram are now under Stellantis and are FCA brands that are offered in the United States. Other Stellantis automobile brands include Citroen, DS Automobiles, Opel, Peugeot, and Vauxhall. Subaru is owned by Subaru Corp. Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Tata Motors. Owned by Tesla. Lexus and Toyota are owned by Toyota Motor Corp. Additionally, it owns stock in Suzuki and Subaru. The automotive brand VinFast, along with VinHomes, VinBigData, VinBioCare, and VinBrain, are all owned by VinGroup. Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Scout, and Volkswagen are all brands owned by Volkswagen AG. Volvo, Polestar, and Lotus are all brands owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH).
How are Hyundai and Kia vehicles stolen?
Typically, the person who steals the car receives the majority of the blame for the actual crime. That is no longer the case for Hyundai and Kia, however, as state officials, clients, and attorneys are urging the business associates to take action.
The action comes after a spate of vehicle thefts involving each brand that were sparked by widely popular social media challenges on TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms. These challenges typically used the hashtag “Kia Boys.” Usually, the vehicles are employed for fast thrill rides or other criminal activities. The tendency is growing throughout the United States, despite the claims made by social media firms that they remove such content because it violates their regulations.
The majority of the cars being targeted are specific 2010–2021 Kia and Hyundai models with traditional mechanical keys and no key-fob or push-start system. All vehicles produced after 2022, according to the two Korean businesses, are equipped with the technology.
The automakers are currently dealing with multiple class-action lawsuits in various states.
In December of last year, there was the first indication that there might be an issue for Hyundai and Kia. At that time, we announced that both manufacturers had started collaborating with Milwaukee police to offer free steering wheel locks to deter theft of automobiles without immobilizers.
Then, in July, we informed you that the Minnesota Police Department had noted an increase in Kia thefts of more than 1,300% from the previous year. At same time, thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles were also reported to have increased in Grand Rapids, St. Louis, Memphis, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Milwaukee even went so far as to claim that the rise in thefts was “directly caused” by the Korean automakers.
By August, St. Petersburg, Florida police had also noted a rise and had even gone so far as to tweet about the problem. The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that the rash of thefts has sparked a number of lawsuits that claim these cars are just too simple to steal. Hyundai, for its part, claims that beginning in October, a security upgrade will be available for purchase at its dealers.
At least one federal action has been filed against the Korean automakers, and Ken McClain, the lead attorney on 13 claims against Kia and Hyundai, told CBS Chicago that “Kia and Hyundai have known for a long time that their refusal to add an immobilizer put their automobiles at a disadvantage.”
While no automobile can be rendered theft-proof, according to a statement from Kia to the WSJ, thieves are only interested in cars with a steel key and a “turn-to-start” ignition system.
The statement continued, “The majority of Kia vehicles sold in the United States come with a key fob and ‘push-button-to-start’ system, making them harder to steal.
The two Korean manufacturers told CNBC that they are distributing steering wheel locks in an effort to remedy the issue; Hyundai added that it will start selling a “security kit” in October.