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Post by Brian Gluckman on Mar 20, 2004 13:47:37 GMT -5
I was interested to see that Kia's Clarus sedan was based on Mazda's 626.
The Sephia and 323 were related closely like many other Kia/Mazda connections...
This is officially a Kia Clarus discussion thread.
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Post by eCkS on Mar 21, 2004 2:07:34 GMT -5
yes i also found out that the Kia Clarus/Parktown was based on the previous gen Mazda 626... what boggles my mind though is that it look nothing like a Mazda...maybe the Engine or the Chasis is from Mazda...i don't i 'll dig something up...
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Post by eCkS on Mar 21, 2004 2:56:47 GMT -5
engine choices were a 1.8L 115 hp; and a 2.0L 133 hp ummm....? i guess thats all i could find... i guess this was Kia's rival to Hyundai's Sonata way back in 1997 when Kia and Hyundai were independent...
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Post by Brian Gluckman on Mar 21, 2004 21:48:08 GMT -5
eCkS, the Clarus and 626 didnt share bodywork. you are rite, tho, it was platform, etc. that the 2 cars shared...
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Post by eCkS on Mar 29, 2004 2:07:47 GMT -5
i figured.. but i didn't have anything to back it up... where did you get the info..? man the interior of this car is extremely cheap and boring ...and im tired of old Kias having the same friggin Kia Sephia steering wheel... one other thing how the did Kia have ties with Mazda/Ford..?
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Post by hjr on Mar 29, 2004 14:04:06 GMT -5
Tie-Ins: From what I recall, Ford had a % of stock in Kia, as did Mazda for a long time. Ford even tired to bid on Kia back in 98-99? Lost out to Hyundai, so they sold their shares of stock after the purchase was finalized.
Also, Kia made the Aspire for Ford in the 90's.
I forgot the exact % of shares/stock owned by Ford, etc. It was reported on sites like the carconnection.com, for instance.
Think it was a similar deal like Hyundai has with D/C. They have around 10.5% stock and Mitsu now has 1-1.5% stock in Hyundai(used to be around 5%, but supposedly Hyudnai purchased back 3-4% from Mitsu).
Yeha, the old Kias and Mazdas shared parts a decade back, due to the factors mentioned above. DAV
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Post by hjr on Mar 29, 2004 14:08:24 GMT -5
Here ya go! Ohio's Greatest Home Newspaper from the Columbus Dispatch: ----------------------------------------------------c----------------------------
Ford offers a new bid for Kia
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The move has revived hopes for a rescue of the South Korean automaker. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bloomberg News Oct. 13, 1998
SEOUL, South Korea -- Ford Motor Co., the No. 2 U.S. automaker, re-entered the bidding for South Korea's Kia Motors Corp., reviving hopes of a foreign rescue of the company whose collapse last year presaged Korea's plunge into recession.
Three Korean automakers, Hyundai Motor Co., the country's largest, Samsung Motor Inc. and Daewoo Motor Co., also submitted bids before yesterday's deadline, a Kia spokesman said. A winner will be named Monday.
Ford, which withdrew from the second auction of Kia last month because Kia's debt was too high, confirmed it bid in the third round. Kia's creditors have dropped some onerous debt-assumption requirements and said they would not cap the amount of debt they're willing to forgive.
"We still think we are Kia's best bet to return it to global competitiveness," a Ford spokesman said. "We have consistently said that if the terms were made attractive, we would make another bid."
This third auction of Kia and its Asia Motors Co. affiliate is seen as a crucial test of the government's ability to persuade foreign investors to help pull the country out of its worst economic straits in 45 years. "Ford's renewed interest is a good signal," said Lee Won Ki, the head of Lotus Consulting Co. "If Ford wins, it will give a strong boost to the stock market as well as the struggling Korean auto industry."
Kia collapsed in July 1997, owing $10 billion. The repercussions were felt throughout the economy.
In December, Korea needed a bailout to stave off bankruptcy.
Ford has said it wants to raise its share of the Asian auto market to 10 percent by 2007 from 1 percent now.
"It makes sense for Ford to expand its global reach right now . . . because it can get more bang for the buck," said Brian Eisenbarth, an analyst with Collins & Co. "Five years from now, the Korean and Southeast Asian economies might be expanding again."
Hope this helps, eCks!
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Post by Brian Gluckman on Mar 29, 2004 19:24:04 GMT -5
Thank GOD in heaven, Ford didn't get Kia.
Thank God.
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Post by eCkS on Mar 30, 2004 2:15:21 GMT -5
now if there was a way for Hyundai to buy back it's 10% from DC... that was a terrible, terrible mistake...
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Post by Brian Gluckman on Mar 30, 2004 16:20:46 GMT -5
HaHa. Even the sound of it is scary.
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