Kia Granbird

The Kia Granbird is a high-decker coach produced by the South Korean manufacturer Kia, derived from the Hino S'elega platform and for a brief period of time from the former Asia Motors. Production started in 1994 to compete with the Hyundai Aero and the Daewoo BH series, and the first generation, released in August 1994 as the Asia Motors Granbird AM948 and AM949, was offered only with direct injection diesel engines. It received the Good Design Award and the Successful Design Award from the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1995, becoming the first Korean commercial vehicle to do so. The exterior stayed essentially the same until the second-generation New Granbird in November 2007, with a refresh following in 2020. The first generation has a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout with standard air suspension, and early cars used Hino V8 EF750 and F17E engines before Hyundai engines were adopted. The Granbird is only sold in selected markets.