Kia is celebrating today the one millionth vehicle built at the West Point, Georgia manufacturing facility. The milestone model is a snow white pearl 2014 Kia Sorento SXL.
The factory began manufacturing the Sorento on November 16, 2009, following an initial investment of $1 billion. More than 11,000 jobs in West Point and the surrounding region have been created by Kia’s plant, including on-site and local suppliers.
The facility was expanded in early 2012, following a $100 million investment, with annual capacity being increased to 360,000 vehicles. The plant also builds the Optima mid-size sedan, which was added to the line in 2011. The Optima has been Kia’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for 19 consecutive months.
“Building one million vehicles in less than four years is a tremendous achievement and one that each one of our more than 3,000 team members can take great pride in,” said Byung Mo Ahn, Group President and CEO for Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia.
“People are the heart and soul of this company, and our team members’ commitment to world class quality is one of the major driving forces behind Kia’s unprecedented sales and market share growth in the U.S. over the last few years,” he added.
The one-millionth Sorento will be transported to one of Kia Motors America’s more than 765 dealerships in the U.S.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
