Where Are Kia's Car Made, And Who Makes Them?
Kia, the automotive brand responsible for attractive, reliable, and affordable vehicles like the Sorento and Telluride SUVs, was started in 1944 in South Korea with a steel tube and bicycle parts plant. Originally named the Kyungsung Precision Industry, the Kia brand received its modern name in 1952, and it didn't begin to build automotive vehicles until 1974, when it introduced the Brisa. Since then, the Seoul-based automotive brand joined the Hyundai Motor Group and has continued to push what drivers can expect from a South Korean vehicle.
Since 1998, when the Kia brand merged with Hyundai, the South Korean automaker has continuously improved its vehicles. Kia vehicles have seen an increase in reliability in recent history and are now in the top 10 in terms of reliability from Consumer Reports. The brand has also been seen near the top of the list of J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study, which looks at customer reports that are made about their vehicles.
While Kia may be a South Korean brand, it has vehicle assembly plants all over the world. Kia makes all of its own vehicles at these plants.
Where Kia Vehicles Are Built
Kia produces a number of cars and SUVs, as well as one minivan. In the United States, Kia has a manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, that began production in 2009. Vehicles built at this site are intended for both U.S. customers and international customers. The Kia models built here include the Telluride, the Sorento (along with the Sorento Hybrid and Sorento Plug-In Hybrid), the Sportage (along with the Sportage Hybrid and Sportage PHEV), the K5, the all-electric EV9, and the all-electric EV6.
The brand also has a plant in Mexico, where the Kia Forte and Kia Rio are assembled. However, two major Kia vehicles can only be imported into the U.S. from South Korea: the Kia Soul and Kia Carnival. The Carnival is one of the brand's newest vehicles, a minivan with a starting price of just under $37,000.
Beyond North America, Kia has plants in India, Slovakia, China, and South Korea. In Slovakia and India, the Kia brand sells a number of vehicles that won't be seen on American streets, including the Xceed, Sonnet, Carens, and Siros.