. Kia Motors Corporation Announces Plans
to Build Its first U.S. Manufacturing Plant in West Point, Georgia
Korean Automaker
Investing $1.2 Billion, Plant Will Employ 2,500
SEOUL, South
Korea - Kia Motors Corporation (KMC) announced plans to
construct a $1.2 billion automotive assembly and manufacturing
plant in West Point, Ga., at a ceremony attended by KMC
President E.S. Chung and Gov. Sonny Perdue in Seoul. The
facility will be Kia's first manufacturing plant in the
U.S. and will begin production in 2009.
The manufacturing facility
is expected to produce 300,000 vehicles per year at maximum capacity
and will be built on 2,200 acres. Approximately 2,500 jobs will
be created in Troup County and the surrounding areas.
"The decision by KMC
to build a manufacturing plant in the United States demonstrates
their confidence in our ability to further grow sales in the North
American market," said J.H. Lee, president and CEO, Kia Motors America.
"The plant is an important development to support our sales goals
over the next decade.
Construction is currently underway
on a dedicated Kia corporate campus in Irvine, Calif. that is expected to
open in December 2006, and will include a 65,000 square-foot design center.
In total, Kia Motors has invested more than $300 million in the United States
over the last four years, including a state-of-the-art research and development
center in Ann Arbor, Mich. and a custom-built vehicle proving grounds in
Mojave, Calif.
Since coming to market in the
United States, Kia has expanded to a full product line of vehicles and enjoyed
12 years of consecutive sales records, including 275,871 vehicles in 2005.
Most recently, KMA posted record sales for the month of February 2006, and
is 3.2-percent ahead of its record setting 2005 sales pace.
