Kia adds Optima to production line
Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) started production in Troup County in November 2009 at its $1 billion West Point automobile manufacturing facility. In July 2011, KMMG celebrated production of its 300,000th vehicle.
The milestone was one of many already set and more yet to come.
At the 2011 International Auto Show in New York, Kia Motors announced that the award-winning Optima midsize sedan would be added to the plant’s production line. Following the announcement, work began on a series of expansion projects in each of the plant’s four main shops—stamping, welding, paint and general assembly—to raise annual capacity to 360,000 vehicles starting in 2012.
The additional $100 million investment by Kia Motors at the West Point plant goes toward various projects, including enlarging the paint shop, adding a second 5,400-ton transfer press in the stamping shop, extending the production line, and adding 500 parking spaces in the team member parking area.
Beginning in September 2011, the 2012 model year Kia Optima will be added to the production line, built alongside the Kia Sorento CUV, which has been the brand’s best-selling vehicle each month since arriving in dealerships in January 2010.
In addition to the physical expansion, KMMG has completed the hiring process for almost 1,000 new team members in preparation for the addition of a third shift, bringing the total number of jobs created at the plant to more than 3,000.
“The success of the West Point, Georgia plant is the result of the dedication of our team members and the world-class quality that goes into each vehicle we build, and the increased volume and addition of new team members is further evidence of our commitment to the U.S. and local economies,” said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America and KMMG. “Kia is experiencing unprecedented growth in the U.S., led by the best-selling Sorento, and with demand for the critically acclaimed Optima currently outpacing supply, we are proud to add the popular sedan as the second Kia vehicle on the production line.”
Located on 2,200 acres in West Point, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia is the first manufacturing site in North America for Kia Motors Corporation, based in Seoul, Korea. At full capacity, the plant will be able to produce 300,000 vehicles annually.
Mass production of the Kia Sorento CUV began at KMMG on Nov. 16, 2009. Vehicle number 300,000 was a silver Sorento SX which was allocated to one of Kia’s more than 730 dealers nationwide.
“The completion of our 300,000th vehicle in less than two years is a historic milestone for KMMG, and the success of the plant is attributable to each team members’ commitment to outstanding quality,” said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America (KMA) and KMMG. “Now, with three full shifts of production and the addition of the Optima, our production goals will continue to be very aggressive.”
For more, visit kmmgusa.com.