KIA Motors opens production plant in Georgia, USA
The opening of Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) was marked by producing a white all-new Sorento. This is the company's first US production plant. It is expected to produce 300,000 vehicles a year at full capacity and employ 2,500 people. Additionally with on-site and nearby suppliers it will create 7,500 jobs in the region.
"The start of production at our first manufacturing facility in the United States further demonstrates our commitment to growth in North America and we are proud to be adding 2,500 jobs to the local economy," said B.M. Ahn, President and CEO, Kia Motors America (KMA) and KMMG.
The total investment by Kia Motors is around US$1 billion. The production plant is built on 2,200 acres and also includes a body stamping facility and a transmission shop. Since 2002, more than US$1.3 billion has been invested by Kia Motors in different facilities throughout the whole country. Some of them are the corporate campus and design center in Irvine, California, the state-of-the-art research and development centre in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the custom-built vehicle proving ground in Mojave, California.
With the opening of Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia the total produced vehicles per year will become 2.56 million. Most of them are made in Korea - 1.53 million, 430,000 in China, 300,000 in Slovakia and now 300,000 in the US.
