- Kia celebrates the completion of Hyundai Motor Group's first
dedicated EV manufacturing facility
- Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant, located at Kia Autoland
Gwangmyeong, to mass-produce Kia EV3 and EV4 models
- The new facility to have production capacity of 150,000
units per year
- Previous internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle plant
transformed to facilitate EV production and accelerate delivery of
Kia's strategic sustainable manufacturing and mobility
goals
- Cutting-edge manufacturing initiatives include water-based
painting as well as automated processes
- The EVO Plant to set a new era for Kia's move towards
electrification, through production of the brand's high quality EV
lineup
SEOUL, South Korea,
Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kia
Corporation has today celebrated the opening of Kia Gwangmyeong EVO
Plant, Hyundai Motor Group's (the Group) first dedicated
EV manufacturing facility.
Located at Kia Autoland Gwangmyeong, the new South Korean
facility has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units and
started production of the Kia EV3 in the first half of this year,
to be followed by the EV4 in the first half of 2025. Derived from
the term 'Evolution', the Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant demonstrates
how Kia will continue to change and move forward as it aims to
become a leader in the future of mobility.
To celebrate the completion of the project, Kia hosted around
150 guests during a ceremony at the new Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant,
including Jun Young Choi, Executive
Vice President and Head of Domestic Production Division at Kia;
Seung Won Park, Mayor of Gwangmyeong
City; and O Kyeong Lim and Nam Hee
Kim, Members of the 22nd National Assembly of the Republic
of Korea.
"The completion of the Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant solidifies
Kia's first step as an EV leader following the company's brand
relaunch in 2021. With the goal of providing sustainable mobility
solutions, we will lead innovation in the EV market and fulfil our
responsibilities in helping to deliver a sustainable future", said
Jun Young Choi, Executive Vice
President and Head of Domestic Production Division at Kia, during a
welcoming speech at the event.
Seung Won Park, Mayor of
Gwangmyeong City also added, "The completion of the Kia Gwangmyeong
EVO Plant will help Gwangmyeong City to establish itself at the
center of the EV industry in Korea. Through this we will strive to
promote sustainable development of the local economy and create
more jobs."
In order to flexibly respond to changes in global demand for
EVs, Kia has been steadily preparing for EV production at its
global facilities. The Gwangmyeong EVO Plant is a dedicated EV
facility, with an investment total of KRW
401.6 billion over approximately 60,000 square meters and
will serve as an outpost for production of Kia's popular EV
models.
Kia has spent approximately one year transforming Gwangmyeong
Plant 2, which was completed in 1987 to produce small internal
combustion engine vehicles such as the Kia Pride, Avella and
Stonic. The Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant is also meaningful in that it
is the Group's first dedicated EV plant and a facility that has
been completely rebuilt on an existing plant site to become a hub
for next-generation vehicle production.
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SOURCE Kia Corporation