1994-2004 Kia Sephia: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Although the South Korean manufacturer, Kia, has become best-known in the U.S. for its Sportage compact sport-utility vehicle, the subcompact Sephia sedan arrived on the market first. Previously, Kia Motors had been producing the Ford Aspire minicar (from a Mazda design). Sephia debuted in Korea in 1992, and an export edition began trickling into the U.S. late in 1993. Sales began only in 11 western states, and it would take several years for Kia Motors America to establish a nationwide dealer network. Similar in size and weight to a Ford Escort or Hyundai Elantra, the front-drive notchback sedan came with an 88-horsepower, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine. A 5-speed manual transmission was standard, and electronic 4-speed automatic optional. Neither an airbag nor antilock braking was available. Sephias met the federal requirement for passive restraints with door-mounted automatic front seatbelts. Early models rode a 98.4-inch wheelbase and measured 170.7 inches long overall. Until 2000, the front-drive Sephia would be the only Kia passenger car sold in the U.S. Rivals included the Geo Prizm, Honda Civic, and Saturn sedan.