South Korean car manufacturer Kia Motors said on Thursday that it has begun assembly of the Venga small MPV at its factory in the city of Zilina in Slovakia, which also builds the Cee’d family of C-segment models and the Sportage SUV.
Up until now, Kia produced the B-segment MPV at sister company’s Hyundai Motor other European plant in the Czech Republic.
To accommodate production of the Venga, Kia Motors invested more than €40 million (US$55.3 million) into modifying the assembly lines of the Zilina plant, while also adding a third shift and a second engine shop, which resulted in the employment of 1,000 new staff bringing the total to 4,000 employees.
Kia said that in the first half of 2012, it will employ over 1,000 more workers in all areas of the facility from quality inspectors, welders and assembly operators.
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