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Expansion means more vehicles and jobs at Kia’s Georgia plant
Kia Motors America reveals more details about expansion plans for its Georgia-based manufacturing plant…
Kia Motors Manufacturing of Georgia recently announced plans for a $100 million expansion that will create 1000 new jobs at its manufacturing plant located in West Point, Georgia. With expansion works, Kia will lift the annual production of vehicles from 300.000 in 2011 to as much as 360.000 in 2012.
The expansion plan will upgrade the stamping shop with a 5.400-ton transfer press, while the welding shop will get additional robots. Kia also intends to increase the size of paint shop to accommodate the complexities involved with producing a new vehicle and add more than 500 additional parking spaces in the team member parking area.
Models to be built in the upgraded plant include the 2012 Kia Optima sedan and 2012 Sorento CUV. According to the carmaker, Optima production will commence in September 2011. The new Optima will be built alongside Kia’s best selling vehicle in the US, the Kia Sorento SUV and Hyundai Santa Fe SUV.
Kia’s manufacturing plant currently employs around 3000 people while additional 1000 people have been hired for the proposed additional production.
“Kia is experiencing unprecedented growth in the U.S. , led by the hot-selling Sorento and Soul crossover vehicles, and with demand for the new Optima sedan currently outpacing supply (see: Kia sales May 2011) we are proud to add the popular mid-size sedan as the second Kia vehicle on the production line,” commented Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing. [Source: Kia]
How about bringing the new 2012 Rio and Rio5 to West Point, GA and get that line really moving?
It wouldn’t be realistic to build the Rio in the USA without a new factory. It is not a “volume” seller like the Optima or Sorento, and those are the vehicles Kia needs to build here. I can see new factories in the future, but I don’t see the 2012 Rio (or Rio5) arriving to dealers before October. Rental car companies could begin getting them as soon as September, though.
HKAG can combine Accent and Rio on a new plant, this will meet the volume rquirement!
Hyundai suppose to announce a new plant in north Am at the end of 2011!
That is true! I hope for Accent/Rio and Sportage/Tucson at a new plant….two new plants couldn’t hurt, either 😛
I think that the new upcoming 2012 KIa Rio and especially the Rio5 Hatchback is going to sell way beyond even KMA expectations. IMO, there is nothing in the Sub-Compact B-Segment Class that compares with it for both looks and option content. If priced right and coupled with the right exterior color and interior combinations along with its limitless amount of upscale trim, keeping satisfactory amounts of dealer inventory might be the only problem. Attaboy is right…perhaps that new combination Hyundai/Kia Plant manufacturing both Accent`s and Rio`s might fit well in Canada, maybe St. Therese, Quebec? If assembled there, they might actually but the DRL`s on (all) the vehicles instead of deleting them for US destined sales, LOL. Just don`t need the heated seats,mirrors or steering wheel here in FL.. Maybe an A/C substitute instead?
in canada if you buy an Accent made in Korea , destination charge are 1495.00$ cdn
and if you buy an Alabama build Elantra it is 1495.00$ cdn. i’m still serching the difference!
where is the soul built, and where wil the 2012 soul’s be built? i like the idea of 160hp w/6-spd auto also. I love the 10 yr-100,000 pwrtrain warranty. it’s still best in the business. stay with it Kia.
Attaboy, thats like trying to determine what “Dealers Fees” are meant to cover. Its just added profit either for the Manufacturer in what they choose to arbitrary tack on for Destination Charges or Dealers Fees or Prep, where the Vehicle gets a (wash) job and the Buyer gets a (hose) job! Years ago when I lived in Framingham, MA where GM built Buick Regals and Pontiac Lemans. Directly next to the manufacturing plant a stones throw away was Connelly Buick. The Dealer Destination Charges on the vehicles MSRP was the same as the identical car sold through a Dealer in California. Distance from point of manufacture does`nt mean a thing!
who owns who in HKAG?
That is Great News! The Optima is a perfect fit for Georgia!! Not to mention Assembled in the USA is not only good for the Extra Jobs but will boost Sales even more in the States! Perfect!!
So..I have a PSone, not really into it, at all.
Runnin Okie, Hyundai bought Kia when they went Bankrupt about a decade ago after a deal with GM (thankfully) fell apart. Accordingly, they are the “parent” Corporation of the holding company known globally as HKAG, Hyundai/Kia Automotive Group.
or maybe that dumb ass, HamStar edition, Soul.
By Wii U are you referring to a video game console? How is that related to the car business? And, hasn’t the Wii been out for like…4 years?
Something so strong.
It’s a lot cheaper to builds cars in the United States than to import them from Korea. The Japanese figured this out. The Koreans are taking advantage of the weak dollar.
Make that Kia should be sending you $250.00 USD per month. Not kidding, here. Vouch and pouch for it, man.
Gee, and I thought I was a tech nerd when I upgraded to a computer with 4 GB of RAM and WIN7! lol
Spy shots of the 2012 Kia Sedona? They are already at the Kia Dealerships and identical to the 2011 models except for some trim options? They made their refresh last year on the 2011 model. I though since they dropped the Hyundai Version, they were considering killing the line? Poor seller here in the US and dropped for most other markets already. They will need the production capacity at their Sohari Plant once the 2012 Kia Rio and Rio5s start rolling down the line anyway!
Greg, You can`t consider yourself a Tech Nerd until you write off MIcrosoft and Windows. As a true Tech (hater) I switched over to an Apple iMac years ago, swore off ever owning another PC and have never regretting getting another blue screen of death notification informing me of having committed a (fatal error). A true fatal error is either a heart attack or a stroke!
Funny…I actually switched from Mac to PC about 2 years ago. I wont elaborate, but I have tried to stay away from Apple products since.
I also think Kia has something going on with the Sedona. Being a Sedona owner, I can vouch for how well these things are truly made. Not only that, but just the little details, like 2nd row windows that roll down, or the little “conversation mirror” so you can easily check the back seat. I truly think we have seen the last of the Carens/Rondo. As I have said before, and compared endlessly, the new Sorento replaced the Rondo, as it has near identical dimensions. I do expect a new Sedona….maybe even a hybrid? Please? I wouldn’t expect more than 2 or 3 coupes from Kia. The Forte Koup has pretty low sales volume.
Don’t the Chrysler minivans have seats that swivel around? How does that work with the seatbelts?
Greg- I don’t know how the Chrysler seatbelts work, but I have seen some in GM vehicles that are made into the seat. So if you moved the seat, the seatbelt would stay attached. I would like to see 5 point seatbelts implemented into production vehicles, rather than just race/ rally modified vehicles. You could achieve this with the belts made into the seats. Think about it- child seats have 5 point belts, so why are adults limited to only 3 point belts?!
The most recent carseat I bought was a Britax Frontier 85, which allows you to keep a child in a 5-point harness up to 85 pounds. After 85 pounds, you can replace the center buckle with a clip for the regular seatbelt, and use the seat as a 4-point booster up to 120 lbs. Best carseat on the market, and I would recommend it over anything else. I think that a vast majority of drivers would not want or have any use for a 5 point harness. There are plenty of people who don’t like/don’t use their 3-point seatbelt.
I`m not a Korean “hater” but you don`t see a resemblance between the new Accent rear hatch and that of the Fiesta hatch?
I like Ford, own a Fiesta,, and also own quite a bit of Ford Stock which offered me the opportunity to purchase this vehicle for under invoice with (no) dealer fees due to their Shareholders “X Plan”. That said, I still love the Hyundai/Kia line and plan on replacing my 2006 Kia Rio5 with the upcoming 2012 Kia Rio5. I don`t believe in the concept of “Saints” anyway, so Ford would not qualify.
Just because the Koreans and Japanese are closely related “cousins” does not make them close. Much like the Arabs and the Jews of the Middle East, both being Semites and both Islam and Judaism sharing almost identical dietary and religious practice as well as having Abraham as the Patriarch of their faiths, has that brought them peace and harmony through the past centuries? The same could be said of the on going dislike between the Koreans and the Japanese.
What I’m interested in right now.