When David Curry learned in 2006 that Kia Motors planned to build cars in West Georgia he left Florida with his wife and young son and returned to LaGrange. He enrolled in automotive manufacturing at West Georgia Technical College while working at a pool company.

On Tuesday Curry, 48, was at the school filling out an online application for a Kia job – one of the first to do so. “It’s been two years now that I’ve been building toward this point,” he said after completing the one-hour process.

Kia, Korea’s second largest carmaker, began accepting applications for more than 2,500 jobs about 11 a.m. Tuesday. Officials with the company and the state yanked down a banner during a ceremony at the college to reveal two words: Now Hiring! (more…)

Another great article coming from European press:

The sleek, mirrored facade of Kia Motor’s new 75million euro ($109million) design centre has carved out its own unique space in Frankfurt’s distinctive skyline.

In automotive circles, the city is famous for hosting Europe’s biggest motor show every other year. Now, with the arrival of Kia, the car industry’s presence has become permanent.

“The building and the location is quite a statement,” grins head designer Peter Schreyer as he looks out over the sprawling city. “It is part of our brand image positioning. It is a statement of our strong commitment to Europe.” (more…)