Asia Motors Industries, traded as Asia Motors (; ), was a South Korean car manufacturer established in 1965 and closed in 1999. From 1976 onwards, it was a subsidiary of Kia Motors.

History

thumb|left|Kia's Gwangju plant, pictured in 2016, the former site of Asia Motors

In 1962, as one of the measures to comply its First Five-Year Economic Development Plan, the Korean government passed a law exempting from taxes imported parts to assemble KD cars locally. In 1965, as a result of these incentives, Asia Motor Industries was established in Gwangju through the financial support of entrepreneur Lee Mun-hwan. The company was initially manufacturing military vehicles, trucks and buses but soon it began negotiations with Fiat and in 1970 it started to assemble Fiat 124 models. It diversified into the SUV and heavy vehicles market, including large and medium duty trucks, special military vehicles, lightweight cars, civilian jeeps (a small jeep look-alike called the Rocsta and later the Retona), motor vehicle components, to include engines, and buses and mini-buses. In 1969, Asia Motors was acquired by Dongkuk Steel. and was purchased by Kia in 1976, as the government promised Kia, in exchange of doing so, a monopoly of the military vehicle production for South Korea.

Vehicles

Passenger vehicles

thumb|right|[[Asia Rocsta in the Philippines]]

  • Fiat 124
  • Rocsta
  • Retona

Vans

  • Asia Topic (Mazda Bongo/Kia Bongo I)
  • Asia Towner (Daihatsu Hijet/Kia Towner)

Small / medium-sized buses

thumb|right|[[Asia Cosmos AM818.]]

  • Asia Combi (AM805/815/825) - based on the Mazda Parkway
  • Asia AM808 (Hino Liesse)
  • Asia Cosmos (AM818) (Hino Rainbow)

Large bus

thumb|right|[[Kia Granbird|Asia Granbird in Russia]]

  • Asia AM927 / AM937 / AM928 (city buses), AM929, AM939, AM949 (Gran Bird)

Truck

  • Asia Granto (AM) truck (Hino Ranger)
  • Asia AM420 (Hino Profia)

Other

  • KM900 APC - license version of the Fiat 6614 Armoured Personnel Carrier for Republic of Korea Army.
  • Asia Motors also assembled/distributed Massey Ferguson tractors:
  • Massey Ferguson 362A
  • Massey Ferguson 390A

References

  • The history of Asia Motors Australia (archived on May 9, 2005)