Kia Celebrates 2 Million Cars Built In The U.S.

Kia Motors’ factory in Georgia just passed an important milestone, with the two-millionth vehicle rolling off the assembly line.

The car in question is a white 2016 Kia Sorento SXL, with the KMM Georgia factory currently building more than 40 per cent of all Kia models sold in the United States.

Kia has invested more than $1.1 billion in the manufacturing facilities of Georgia since the plant began mass production in 2009, creating more than 15,000 jobs in West Point and the surrounding region.

“Assembling two million vehicles in less than seven years is a remarkable achievement, and one that each of our team members can take a lot of pride in,” said KMM Georgia President and CEO Hyun-Jong Shin. “The world-class quality that goes into every Sorento CUV and Optima midsize sedan we build is a direct result of the hard work and commitment of our team members, and today we salute their commitment to excellence.”

Kia is currently building the Sorento SUV and Optima mid-size sedan in the Georgia factory which is the first manufacturing site in North America for Kia.

“Together, Kia and Georgia have a strong reputation of success,” said Governor Nathan Deal. “The company’s continued investment in the state speaks volumes to our pro-business atmosphere, and we will continue to support them as they grow here. I want to congratulate Kia’s team members on this accomplishment.”

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Sales of Hyundai, Kia forecast to top 8 mln units this year

Global sales of Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's top two automakers, are likely to exceed the 8 million unit mark in 2015 for the second consecutive year on the back of brisk demand for new cars, industry sources said Sunday.

In the first 11 months of the year, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 7.19 million vehicles worldwide, down 0.8 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Despite the slight drop, the two carmakers will likely see their full-year sales hover just above 8 million, given the fact that car demand usually surges in December, according to the sources. Hyundai and Kia had originally targeted shipping 8.2 million units this year.

Last year, combined sales of Hyundai and Kia reached slightly over 8 million vehicles.

In December last year, the flagships of the world's fifth-largest automaker Hyundai Motor Group sold a combined 758,000 units, much higher than their average monthly number of 659,000 vehicles in the January-November period that year.

"Typically, sales grow sharply in December," a Hyundai official said. "Shipments have recently been strong."

Industry watchers said full-year sales of Hyundai and Kia will exceed the 8 million mark without much difficulty should its shipments continue at the current pace.

Hyundai and Kia are widely expected to set their global sales target for next year at around 8.2 million units.

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