In an announcement made on March 2006, Kia Motors Corporation, the maker of Kia cars, announced official plans to build a $1.2 billion assembly and manufacturing plant in the United States. The location has been confirmed as West Point, Georgia and will serve as Kias first manufacturing plant in America. The first Kia cars to roll off of the assembly line are said to begin production in 2009.
When operated at its maximum capacity, the new Kia cars facility is expected to create approximately 300,000 brand new automobiles every year. In addition, this new construction will provide an additional 2,500 jobs and will be situated on 2,200 acres.
According to president and CEO of Kia Motors America J.H. Lee, “The decision by Kia Motors Corporation to build a manufacturing plant in the United States demonstrates their confidence in our ability to further grow sales in the North American market. He added, “The plant is an important development to support our sales goals over the next decade.”
A dedicated Kia cars corporate campus is currently under construction in Irvine, California. With an anticipated opening date of December 2006, this...