Cars were once considered a luxury. Human needs have evolved as a result of fast technological and innovative advancements.
So, today, this machine has now become a necessity. Getting a good car with all the essential features at an affordable price is what everyone wants.
There are very few companies globally known worldwide, and Kia is one of them. If you have ever encountered a Kia, you might have thought, where are Kia cars made? Please sit back, relax, and let’s find out.
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Where are Kia Cars made in 2023?
Kia cars are made in Pakistan, South Korea, China, India, the USA, Slovakia, Mexico, Japan, & Vietnam. The firm owns 14 manufacturing locations worldwide.
Four of them are situated in South Korea. Thus, the majority of Kia Cars are manufactured in South Korea.
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Alongside these manufacturing spots, the company also owns Research and Design centers in China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, and Germany.
Let’s discuss the company’s history and brief analysis of where is Kia Made?
Where is Kia From?
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia, is a South Korean trillion-dollar company associated with manufacturing automobiles. The headquarter of the company is in Seoul, South Korea.
The company is recognized as the second-largest automobile manufacturer in South Korea, second only to Hyundai’s parent company.
It is publicly traded and holds a minority share in more than twenty subsidiaries of Hyundai.
The firm was founded around 77 years ago in 1944 as Kyungsung Precision Industry, which initially produced domestic bicycles. They opened their first automotive manufacturing plant in Sohari in 1973.
Since then, Kia Corporation went through several ups and downs, and it ultimately led to its bankruptcy in 1997.
The company struggled through the Asian financial crisis and was undertaken by Hyundai Motor Company.
As of today, Hyundai owns one-third of Kia’s stake. The firm operates in all the major countries globally, and its cars are exported to every region of the world.
Some of the most famous and hot-selling cars of Kia are Sorento, Picanto, Niro, Carnival, Sportage, Seltos, Rio/K2, Forte/Cerato, and Optima/K5.
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Where is Kia Made: Manufacturing Facilities
As I already mentioned, Kia owns 14 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Let’s get to know even more about how and where are Kia cars made:
Manufacturing Plants in South Korea:
South Korea is the birthplace of Kia cars. The company was founded here in 1944. Kia owns 4 manufacturing plants in South Korea.
Autoland Gwangmyeong (Sohari Plant)
The Sohari Plant (now known as the Autoland Gwangmyeong) in Seoul is Kia’s first automobile manufacturing plant.
The firm precisely selected this location because of the easy access to all kinds of resources required for car manufacturing.
The manufacturing facility has an annual output of around 340,000 vehicles and is one of the most established units of the company.
Kia’s first car, called the Kia Brisa, was also manufactured here in the Sohari plant.
This factory has long been used for manufacturing some of Kia’s flagship models, such as Kia Rio, Kia Carnival, Kia K9, and Kia Stinger.
Previously the firm also manufactured Mazda 121, Kia Pride, Kia Avella, and Ford Aspire within the premises of this factory. As reported, this factory is still part of Kia’s manufacturing fleet.
Autoland Hwaseong:
Kia’s plant, located in Gyeonggi Province, is one of the company’s largest plants, with an incredible space of approximately 34.5 million square feet. This plant was constructed in 1991 and is located in Woojeong-myeon.
The factory houses a large area for trial runs and tests on the company’s latest cars. Kia Optima, Kia Forte/Cerato, Kia Sorento, Kia Mohave, and the Kia Cadenza/K7 series are some of the cars officially manufactured here.
The plant made history in 2001 by surpassing 3 million units in a year.
Autoland Gwangju:
Touching just over 11 million square feet of space, this plant is another significant manufacturing capacity for both Kia and Hyundai. It has a reported production capacity of around 700,000 units annually.
This plant was previously owned by a South Korean car manufacturer Asia Motors. It is located in the sixth-largest metropolitan city of South Korea called, Gwangju.
This factory is home to Kia’s several flagship car models, such as Kia Sportage, Kia K series, Kia Soul, Kia Seltos, Kia Carens, and others.
Apart from domestic production, this facility is also used as a production base to manufacture buses and military vehicles. This massive complex for Kia company serves as a multipurpose facility.
Seosan Plant:
This plant is Kia’s fourth manufacturing house in South Korea alone. Kia opened this plant in collaboration with the South Korean automotive parts producer company, Donghee.
The company manufactures Kia Picanto and Kia Ray in this facility. It is located in Seosan and has an annual production of around 250,000 cars.
Read the following to know about the manufacturing origins of other car brands:
- Where are Honda Cars Made? 13 Manufacturing Countries
- Where are Bentley cars made? Who owns It?
- Where are Skoda Cars Made? Who Makes Skoda?
Is Kia Made in America?
The United States isn’t someplace where everyone can afford to have their manufacturing units. But like some other automobile manufacturers, Kia also manufactures its automobiles in the United States.
The company owned a plant in West Point, Georgia, and was established in the United States with Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia or otherwise KMGG.
Georgia was selected for manufacturing because it was close to the Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Alabama, since Kia sources auto parts and engines from there.
This plant has a functional space of around 2.2 million square feet. With a total investment of around US$ 1 billion, the firm opened this plant in November 2009.
The primary purpose behind having a company-owned manufacturing station was the increasing demand for Kia vehicles in the North American market.
The company officially started rolling in November 2009 with the production of Kia Sorento at this plant.
Nowadays, Sorento 4th generation, K5 5TH generation, Telluride, and Kia Sportage 5TH generation are manufactured here. This plant can produce around 360,000 units annually.
The plant is a multipurpose complex with separate welding, painting, assembly, and stamping departments. It also has services like a transmission shop and a module shop.
It has a workforce of over 3000 people. Tax incentives have also been given to Kia here by Georgia.
Production Facilities in China:
Dongfeng Yueda Kia DYK) is a joint venture that manufactures Kia cars in China. This joint venture was established in 2002.
In 2003, Kia’s first construction assembly was made in Jiangsu Province. The joint venture DYK constructed this plant with an investment of $600 million.
It had a capacity of 400,000 vehicles annually. The firm built its second manufacturing facility in Yancheng in December 2007.
This facility was around 3.9 million square feet and was one of Kia’s giant factories globally. Kia invested around US$ 800 million in this factory, with an annual capacity of 300,000 car units.
The story doesn’t end here, as Kia constructed its third plant in Mainland China between 2012-2014. It also had a production capacity of 300,000 car units annually.
Kia has a significant presence in the Chinese market, and China houses a significant fat portion of Kia’s combined manufacturing.
Vietnam:
Kia partnered with Vietnamese local automobile manufacturer THACO, Truong Hai Automobile Co, in Vietnam.
In 2001, this venture started working in a factory located in Chu Lai, Quang Nam Province. It is a vast factory where both THACO and Kia manufacture automobiles.
India:
Since 2018, Kia Motors have been manufacturing its automobiles within India for the Indian market. The company opened Greenfield Facility in 2018 in Andhra Pradesh.
Kia carnival and Kia Seltos are the most notable Kia cars manufactured here. The plant occupies a total area of 536 acres. It is fully equipped with welding, assembly, painting, and stamping facilities.
The plant is located in the capital of Andhra Pradesh, Amaravathi, and is also used as an export point of Kia Seltos for nearby countries. It can manufacture around 300,000 vehicles per annum.
Mexico:
Kia opened a manufacturing base in Mexico, continuing worldwide production, probably for the North American market. This plant was opened in September 2016 and was constructed with a total investment of 1 billion dollars.
The firm uses this facility to produce Kia’s 4th generation Rio, 5th generation Hyundai Accent, and 3rd generation Forte.
It is located in Pesqueria, a municipality in the state of Nuevo Leon, near Monterrey. A total of 300,000 Kia cars can be made here annually.
Pakistan:
Pakistan is rising as an economic power, and many corporate organizations worldwide are opening their operations in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, Kia has partnered up with Yunus Brothers Group for local manufacturing of Kia cars. The station’s manufacturing location is in Karachi, with more than 2000 employees.
Currently, the company manufactures Kia Picanto, Kia Carnival, Kia Sportage, Kia Frontier, and Kia Stonic in Pakistan.
Slovakia:
Kia’s first-ever plant in Europe is located in Slovakia. This plant was opened in the Slovakian city Zilina in April 2007.
Initially, the company focused on producing its Cee’d model for the European market. Later on, the brand added the Kia Venge and Kia Sportage to the existing production line.
This modern facility can produce 8 different cars simultaneously and has an annual production capacity of 300,000 units annually.
Uzbekistan:
It would be really surprising to know that Kia also manufactures in Uzbekistan to many people. But it is true!
Kia manufactures a plant in Jizzakh called the ADM-Jizzakh plant. This plant was inaugurated in 2020 and is Kia’s latest plant.
In November 2020, Kia started producing K5 and Seltos here in Jizzakh.
Initially, the plant could produce around 25,000 vehicles annually but is expected to increase to 100,000 units per annum in the coming years. The brand started the production of the Kia K8 hereafter 2020.
Where is Kia Manufactured? Quick Overview
To wrap it all up, here is an overview of its manufacturing facilities of Kia at a glance.
| Country | Location | Name of Plant |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | Soha-dong, Gwangmyeong | Sohari Plant |
| South Korea | Woojeong-myeon, Gyeonggi | Hwaseong Plant |
| South Korea | Gwangju, South Jeolla Province | Gwangju Plant |
| South Korea | Seosan, South Chungcheong | Seosan Plant |
| USA | West Point, Georgia | Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG) |
| China | Yancheng, Jiangsu Province | Yancheng Plant |
| Vietnam | Chu Lai, Quang Nam Province | Kia Quang Nam Plant |
| India | Ananthapur, Andhra Pradesh | Kia Motors India |
| Mexico | Pesqueria, Nuevo Leon | Monterrey Plant (KMMX) |
| Pakistan | Karachi, Sindh | Kia Lucky Motors |
| Slovakia | Zilina | Kia Slovakia Plant |
| Uzbekistan | Jizzakh | ADM Jizzakh Plant |
Where are Kia’s Research & Development Centers?
Designing all Kia models is done through their R&D centers in different parts of the world, such as South Korea, California, China, and Germany.
Is Kia A Good Car Brand?
Kia is a good car brand with a great balance of quality, value, and reliability. In recent years, the brand has significantly improved its design and technology, making its vehicles more competitive in the market.
I have been driving a Kia Sportage for a while now and am quite satisfied with my vehicle. The Sportage offers a smooth and comfortable ride, with a well-equipped cabin that offers all the features I need for my daily drive.
I particularly appreciate Sportage’s fuel efficiency, which has saved me a significant amount of money on gas.
The spacious interior also provides plenty of room for my family and all our belongings, making it a great choice for road trips and daily errands.
In terms of reliability, my Sportage has been rock solid and required very few repairs. Overall, I am very happy with my Kia Sportage and would recommend it to anyone looking for a well-rounded and practical compact SUV.
Q1: Do Kias Last Long?
Kia has made significant strides in recent years to improve the durability and reliability of its vehicles. Many Kia owners report that their cars have lasted well beyond the typical lifespan of a vehicle. Usually, Kias are expected to last around 200,000 miles.
Q2: Is Kia Chinese or Japanese?
Kia is a South Korean automaker; it is neither Chinese nor Japanese.
Conclusion:
Wrapping it all up, Kia has well-established, smooth, effective, and efficient operations around the globe. The company employs more than 52,000 individuals worldwide.
Kia cars have won several awards worldwide and are now celebrated internationally. From the iconic Sorento to the sporty Forte/Cerato and the versatile Picanto, Kia offers a range of hot-selling cars that cater to different needs and preferences.
Today, Kia exports its cars to every region of the world and continues to produce popular models like the Sorento, Picanto, and Niro.
Anaya Shah is a seasoned consumer product analyst with over 8 years of experience in the retail and e-commerce industries. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from a top-tier university. Anaya has a keen eye for detail and a passion for uncovering the true value of products, helping consumers make informed decisions. At BrandCritica.com, she brings her expertise in product evaluation, brand analysis, and market trends to deliver trustworthy and insightful content. Connect with Anaya on Instagram for the latest updates and reviews.