The Kia Brisa was the first rear-wheel-drive passenger car Kia built and the first model to come off the Sohari production line. It appeared as a pickup in August 1973 and as a saloon in October 1974, and it was forced out of production in December 1981 by a government order that stopped Kia from making cars at all.
Kia Brisa at a glance
| Maker | Kia Industries |
|---|---|
| Production | 1973–1981 |
| First model | 500 kg pickup, August 1973 |
| Saloon | from October 1974 |
| Based on | Mazda Familia, third generation |
| Local content | over 90 per cent |
| Engine | 1,000 cc at launch, 1,300 cc TC from 1977 |
| Body styles | pickup, saloon, station wagon (K-303) |
| Also built | Brisa II (1977) and K-303 (1978) |
| Successor | none; the Kia Pride continued the line in 1987 |
Based on one source, the Korean Wikipedia article on the Brisa; no free photograph of the car was found, so the page uses the cover already on the record.
History of the Kia Brisa
The Brisa was the result of the car-making knowledge Kia had built up over the previous years, and it was the first rear-wheel-drive passenger car the company made as well as the first mass-produced model of the Sohari plant. The name is Spanish for a light breeze or trade wind; the S-1000 designation stood for Sohari and the 1,000 cc engine.
Launch
A 500 kg pickup came first, in August 1973, and the saloon followed in October 1974. The car was based on the third-generation Mazda Familia, but the share of parts made in Korea was raised above 90 per cent. It sold well at first and volumes grew, until the Hyundai Pony took much of its market.
Brisa II and K-303
To answer the Pony, Kia launched the Brisa II in January 1977 and the K-303 in June 1978. Both were based on the Mazda Grand Familia and used the 1,300 cc TC petrol engine, which was large for a small car at the time; the existing Brisa was also given the TC engine. A 1.4-litre version of that engine, the TX, later went into the Kia Bongo Town.
The 1981 order
The automobile industry rationalisation measure of 28 February 1981, known as the 2.28 measure, stopped Kia Industries from producing passenger cars. The Brisa was therefore discontinued in December 1981 with no successor. The 1,300 cc engine could no longer be used in cars, so Kia supplied it to Saehan Motors, which fitted it to the Maepsy 1300. Kia went through serious financial trouble and recovered by building the Bongo van.
The measure was lifted in 1987 and Kia returned to passenger cars with the front-wheel-drive Pride, developed with Ford and Mazda as part of their world car programme. That car, not the Brisa, is the direct ancestor of Kia’s later small models. The Brisa is now very rare: fewer than ten are thought to survive in Korea.
Design and features
- First at Sohari: the first mass-produced model of the plant that still builds Kia cars.
- Mazda basis: a third-generation Familia with more than 90 per cent Korean content.
- Flip front: the bonnet opened forward as a complete panel.
- TC engine: the 1,300 cc unit that later powered the Brisa II and the K-303.
Kia Brisa versions
- Brisa pickup (1973–1981): a 500 kg commercial model, the first to go on sale.
- Brisa saloon (1974–1981): five seats and a 2,260 mm wheelbase.
- Brisa II (1977): based on the Mazda Grand Familia, with the 1,300 cc TC engine.
- K-303 (1978): a station-wagon-based model, also on the Grand Familia.
The Brisa was the ancestor of the Kia Pride, which restarted Kia’s passenger car line in 1987, and of the later Sephia. More Kia models are in the Kia collection.
Sources
- Kia Brisa, Korean Wikipedia: dates, versions, engines, the 1981 measure, dimensions
