KIA TO INVEST $200M IN GEORGIA PLANT TO BEGIN BUILDING ELECTRIC SUV THERE, HIRING 200

Kia Corp. will invest $200 million in its Georgia factory to begin producing an electric-powered SUV, the company announced this week.

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The South Korean company said it would hire an additional 200 workers to begin producing its large EV9 vehicle in West Point by early 2024. The company said it would expand overall production at the plant near the Alabama state line southwest of Atlanta. Kia says the plant currently produces 340,000 vehicles a year, including Telluride, Sorrento and Sportage SUVs and K5 sedans.

Kia had 2,700 employees at the plant in 2021.

Hyundai Motor Group, Kia's parent, is pushing hard into electric vehicles. Hyundai is sprinting to complete a $5.5 billion plant to assemble electric vehicles and batteries in Ellabell, Georgia, near Savannah. The company also invested $300 million in its Montgomery, Alabama plant to begin making electric vehicles there, starting with the Genesis Electrified GV70 SUV. Hyundai also 200 hired additional workers for that Alabama investment.