Kia Bongo

Kia Bongo

Manufacturer	Kia Motors
Parent company	Hyundai Kia Automotive Group
Production	1980–present
Assembly	Gwangju Plant, Gwangju, South Korea Indonesia Bicutan, Parañaque City, Philippines Quito, Ecuador (AYMESA)

The Kia Bongo (Hangul:기아 봉고), also known as the Kia K-Series or Kia Pregio, is a pickup truck produced and built by Kia Motors.

The Bongo was first launched in 1980 under the name Bongo. In 1997, the second generation and third generation Bongo Frontier was launched. As of 2004, the Kia Bongo was in its fourth version, the Kia Bongo III. "Frontier" was dropped from the name with this revision.

Background

The Kia Bongo Frontier was originally available in RV or pickup trucks. It was replaced by the Kia Bongo III in 2004. The Bongo Frontier was the first Kia Motors car to be exported to Europe and South America.

1st Generation (1980-1997)

Production started in 1980 and 'wide bongo' production started at 1987 and ended at 1997. In 1992, a 2.7 litre engine was introduced.

2nd Generation (1997-2000)

The Bongo Frontier was the first rear wheel drive car produced by Kia Motors.

Kia has produced small and large trucks for the Korean market for at least 25 years. Rear wheel drive Bongo trucks have been on the market in Korea since at least the late 1980s, and these were equipped with a 4 cylinder diesel engine.

3rd Generation (2000-2004)

The 3rd generation Bongo Frontier was introduced in 2000 and was given a facelift from the previous model.

4th Generation (2004-present)

The 4th generation became known as the Kia Bongo III, and the model was again facelifted.

Names

In some markets, including Europe and South America, the Bongo Frontier is branded as the Kia K-Series.

In Brazil, the Bongo model for passengers is named the Kia Best A, usually referred to as 'Besta', that unfortunately means "beast" (or "stupid").

Right hand drive models are produced in Indonesia, while left hand drive models are produced in Ecuador.