Being informed about the car that you are about to purchase is a good thing, which is also necessary. Here some people are least interested in detail and only focus on the looks, but some are involved too much in the details. No, I am not talking about the designing and detailing but the manufacturing of parts. Have you ever wondered where your car is made? Do you own a KIA and are you aware of where is KIA made? If you are from Europe, have you heard where are KIA cars made in Europe? Let us find out!
1. Where and When did KIA Began?
KIA began as a tube and bicycle manufacturing company in 1944 in South Korea. In 1951, the company was named Kyung sung Precision Industry and started the steel business but soon decided to make bikes. The company changed its name to KIA and began motorcycle production in 1952. After 10 years, in 1962, Kia Motors successfully produced its 1st commercial vehicle.
Slowly evolving and taking entry into the automobile industry, KIA started manufacturing vehicles officially in 1973 specifically for the Yeongdeungpo-gu District in Seoul, South Korea. After success in the automobile industry in South Korea, Kia Motors entered the United States market in 1992. (See Who Owns Kia?)
2. Where is KIA Factory?
After making a lasting impression on customers, the KIA factory soon began international manufacturing of its cars. Without compromising the quality or performance KIA cars were manufactured overseas. Most of the models are manufactured in plants located in South Korea. Across the world, KIA has 14 manufacturing facilities in 8 countries. In South Korea, manufacturing plants are located in the following location:
- Kwangmyong
- Kwangju
- Hwasong
Also, there are 4 different design houses of KIA:
- Hwasong in South Korea
- Irvine in California
- Frankfurt in Germany
- Shanghai in China
3. Where is KIA made?
No manufacturing plant across the globe does not manufacture all the KIA car models. Manufacturing of the car models is based on the car industry and demand prevailing there. Here is a list of car models made in different manufacturing facilities.
- KMC Sohari (Kwangmyong) manufacturing unit made KIA Sedona, Stinger, and K900.
- KMC Kwangju manufacture KIA Seltos, Soul, and Sportage.
- KMC Hwasong handles the production of KIA Niro and Cadenza.
- KMMG Georgia manufactures KIA Telluride, Optima, Sorento, and K5.
- KMM Mexico produces KIA Forte and Rio.
4. Where is KIA made in America?
Let us dig a little more into where is Kia made. After 2006, the manufacture of a few KIA models started in the manufacturing plants in North America. Locations of manufacturing plants in North America are as follows:
- Georgia– United States of America
- Nuevo León– Mexico
5. Where are KIA Cars made in Europe?
With its headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, KIA Europe is responsible for the sales, marketing, and service divisions of KIA Corporation. In Europe, the purpose-built headquarters are in Frankfurt, Germany, which is also the home to the Design Center of Kia. In Zilina, Slovakia they have a State-of-the-Art European manufacturing facility that manufactures Venga Compact MPV, Sportage crossover SUV along with 5 door hatch, 3 door-Cee’d Sportwagon. (See Where are Subarus Made?)
6. Where is KIA Sportage made?
Let us know where is KIA Sportage made. KIA Sportage is from the lineage of sport utility vehicles of Kia Motors and was designed by Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer. Manufacturing of the car in the KIA factory began in 1993, and presently it is in the 5th generation.
- The first generation of KIA Sportage was assembled primarily at Hwasong, South Korea. Other places were Karachi-Pakistan, Kaliningrad-Russia, Osnabruck-Germany and Zhangjian-China.
- The 2nd generation assembly shifted to the Gwangju plant. Other locations where the car was assembled were Quito-Ecuador, Zilina-Slovakia, Gurung-Malaysia, Yancheng-China, Kaliningrad-Germany, and Zaporizhzhia-Ukraine.
- The 3rd generation was assembled in lesser plants with South Korea, Slovakia, Russia, Malaysia, and China on the list.
- For the 4th generation, locations were the same with an addition of plants in Batna-Algeria and Karachi-Pakistan.
- The 5th generation is assembled in Gwangju-South Korea, West Point-Georgia, and Zilina-Slovakia.
7. Where is KIA Sportage Engine made?
Now that you understand where is Kia made and where is KIA Sportage made, let us move further to its engine.
- 1st generation has an FE petrol engine that was built in the Miyoshi plant in Hiroshima, Japan.
- The 2nd generation has Beta II, Delta V6 petrol, and D Diesel engines. The Beta and D engines were built in Ulsan, South Korea, and the Delta engine was made in Asan, South Korea.
- The 3rd generation has Gamma, Theta II petrol, and U & R diesel engines. Gamma and Theta were made in Alabama and Montgomery for the North American market. The U diesel engines were made in Zilina, Slovakia, and the R diesel engines were manufactured in Hyderabad, India.
- The 4th generation cars used the same engines, Gamma and Theta II. The U II and R II were manufactured in locations like those for the 3rd generation. The new additions were Nu petrol and Smartstream DF diesel engines and both were manufactured in the Alabama plant.
- 5th generation Smartstream petrol and diesel engines are made in Montgomery by Hyundai for the North American market. Keep reading till the end to know where is KIA telluride made.
8. Where are Transmission and Tires for Sportage made?
The manual, automatic, and DCT transmissions for KIA Sportage are manufactured in the following locations.
- Manual: Beijing-China and Seung-Yeon-South Korea
- Automatic: Jigok-South Korea and Rizhao City-China
- DCT: Jigok-South Korea, Beijing, and Rizhao City-China
9. Where is KIA Telluride made?
Do you know where is KIA telluride made? KIA Telluride is designed by Tom Kearns and is only manufactured and sold in the US and Canadian markets. The car is assembled only in West Point, Georgia. The car is not exported to any other country or continent. For the South Korean market, they rely on Hyundai Palisade, which is more or less similar to Telluride. The 3.8L Lambda II V6 engine is manufactured in Montgomery, Alabama at the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama plant. Its A8LF1 transmission is manufactured in West Point, Georgia.
Telluride with FWD has Pirelli tires and Telluride with AWD has Michelin tires. Manufacturing locations of Pirelli tires are:
- Hanford, California
- Madison, Tennessee
- Rome, Georgia
Michelin has 4 tire manufacturing locations in the United States:
- Ardmore, Oklahoma
- Greenville and Lexington, South Carolina
- Tuscaloosa, Alabama
So, where is KIA made? The production of different models depends on the location because every model is not sold everywhere. Where are Kia cars made in Europe? With headquarters in Frankfurt, the manufacturing plants are in Zilina. By the way, which KIA models are available in your region? Which is your favorite? (See Where is Porsche Made?)
