Kia Corporation, commonly known just as Kia, is an automobile manufacturing company with headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. It produces a wide variety of vehicles, from cars to trucks to SUVs.
Kia is owned by Hyundai Motor Company, which might make some people wonder whether all the company’s vehicles and their parts are made by Kia.
For example, are Kia engines made by Kia?
Who Makes Kia Engines?
Most Kia engines are produced by Hyundai, which is their sister company. Still, some Kia engines are made by Kia, including a 1.7-liter diesel engine as well as some other engines used in older car models. So, just like most automobile manufacturers owned by another company, Kia doesn’t make all of its engines.
Who else makes Kia engines?
Kia engines are produced by several manufacturers.
The majority of Kia engines are made by Hyundai, which is their sister company. Both of these companies share several Hyundai engine models, including the Kappa, Gamma, and Theta engines.
Aside from that, Kia also produces several of its own engines. What’s more, some Kia engines are used in Hyundai vehicles, which means that the two companies share several parts among all of their vehicles.
Does Toyota make Kia engines?
Kia is a member of the Hyundai Motor Company. Because of that, it’s not uncommon to find parts made by Kia in Hyundai vehicles and vice versa.
Before Kia was owned by Hyundai, many people wondered if this automobile manufacturing company produced its own engines. Many have even assumed that Toyota might have supplied Kia with engine parts.
The simple answer is no. Toyota does not manufacture Kia engines. Still, certain Kia models utilize parts from other car companies as a result of cooperation between the two.
For instance, Kia Sportage uses some internal component parts from Mazda vehicles, and Toyota owns Mazda.
So, the two companies are connected, even though Toyota doesn’t directly make Kia engines.
Has any other company made engines for Kia cars?
Kia is an affiliate of the Hyundai Motor Company. This means that Kia vehicles use Hyundai engines and several other internal parts.
With that said, some Kia models use components from other cars. For example, Kia Sportage was developed with a Mazda Bongo engineering base platform.
As a result, Kia Sportage shares the engine, transmissions (in the earlier versions), and several other parts with the Mazda vehicle line.
In the same way, several other Kia models that have been manufactured in cooperation with other companies share parts with that company’s vehicles.
Where are Kia engines made?
Typically, most Kia engines are made in South Korea, China, and sometimes in the United States.
Since Kia is an affiliate of the Hyundai Motor Company, its engines and other component parts are produced in Hyundai-owned manufacturing plants.
Specifically, Kia engines are manufactured in the company’s headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, a manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, United States, and several smaller manufacturing plants in China.
As a result, engines used in Kia vehicles are produced in these locations and then placed in Kia vehicles around the world, depending on where the specific Kia models are made.
Are Kia engines reliable?
Kia engines are some of the most reliable ones on the market. Three of the most popular Kia models, the Soul, Rio, and Forte, have ranked high on various reliability rankings, making this brand a very good choice for people looking for a reliable vehicle.
That said, how reliable a specific vehicle is also depends on how it’s used.
For example, people driving their cars around town for short periods of time don’t need that much engine power.
On the other hand, those taking their vehicles on long road trips might need a more powerful engine. So, usage is an important thing to consider.
Still, Kia engines are very reliable, regardless of how they’re used.
How many types of Kia engines are there?
Kia vehicles use bother Hyundai-made and Kia-made engines. Both of these manufacturing companies produce petrol and diesel engines.
All Hyundai-made engines rely on a naming system based on Greek letters. For example, some of Hyundai’s gasoline engines’ names are Kappa, Epsilon, Alpha, Beta, Sirius, Delta, Omega, and Lambada, just to name a few.
On the other hand, diesel engines are named after Arabis letters. So, some of the names include U, D4B, R, A, H, KK/KK, and GG-BK.
Since both Kia and Hyundai manufacture a wide variety of automobile vehicles, these companies collectively produce more than 20 types of engines, ranging in size and power.
Do Kia engines have problems?
Even though modern Kia engines are reliable, there have been many problems with them in the past.
For instance, there was a lawsuit in 2015 against the Theta engine, alleging that it was defective and suffered from connecting rod bearings issues. What’s more, about 35% of all filed Kia complaints relate to engines.
Specifically, there are three models that cause the majority of the problems: Kia Sorento, Kia Optima, and Kia Sportage.
So, if you’re looking to buy a Kia and want a car with a reliable engine, you may want to stay away from these three models.
That being said, not all Kia models have defective and problematic engines. In fact, many Kia vehicles are known for their reliability and engine power.
Models equipped with the best engines include Kia Soul, Kia Carnival, and Kia Telluride.
In addition, Kia Sorento and Kia Sportage have also been known to be reliable in spite of their engine issues mentioned before.
At the end of the day, whether a car is reliable for you depends on how you use it and take care of it.
Conclusion
Kia mostly uses engines produced by Hyundai, its sister company, as well as its own manufacturing plants. These engines are built around the world, specifically in China, South Korea, and the United States.
So, if you own a Kia vehicle and are wondering what engine it has, now you have an answer.
Sources: Kia, Research Gate, Consumer Reports, and Kia Press Release
Jack is the owner, chief editor, and senior writer of this website.
Machinery, engines, and farming have always been a passion of his since he was a young boy. Growing up on a small farm in rural America, he learned the value of hard work and dedication from an early age.
After completing his degree in Engineering, he decided to follow his dream and became a farmer in 2009.
Since then, he has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field. He has grown a variety of crops, tended to farm animals, and worked with all sorts of farming machinery. Continue reading…
