Zilina starts pilot production

Kia Motors' new state-of-the-art factory in Zilina, Slovakia has started pilot production of a new lower-medium car code-named ED that has been designed specifically for Europe. It will be launched in the UK in 2007, and will be built in the new plant alongside the latest version of the Kia Sportage.

Making its UK debut at the British International Motor Show is the "cee’d" concept vehicle, based on the forthcoming all-new C-segment model, this stunning new model points towards Kia’s future design ethos.

Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Kia, European Design Centre, expands: "We wanted to introduce this concept as the starting point for the new design DNA for Kia, to highlight that this car is designed in Europe and made in Europe, to fulfill 100% of European customer needs."

Output from Zilina will reach 300,000 units by 2009 and there is already the possibility that this figure could rise to 400,000 by 2010. Innovations at the factory include a body turnover rotation dipping system for painting to ensure total immersion and protection against corrosion and a 100 per cent automation ratio for all welding operations carried out by 310 robots. Kia Motors Slovakia (KMS) has hired 1,200 new employees, who are undergoing training and overseeing trial production along various stages of the build process. By 2009 KMS will employ up to 3,000 people and the plant will operate a three-shift build programme. In total the plant is expected to create 10,000 new jobs in Slovakia.

Jean-Charles Lievens, Senior Vice President Kia Motors Europe said that the Slovakian plant is a tangible result of Kia Motors' vision to be a global player. "When the first ED production model rolls off the assembly line in late 2006, it will mark the beginning of a whole new era in Kia's history, thanks to a whole new brand DNA. It will also begin the long-term process of changing how Kia is perceived – from the most European of Korean brands to the most Korean of European brands.

"ED, the new car to be built at Zilina is anticipated to claim a 3.5 per cent share of the three-million unit Western European C-segment market.

"Why are we so confident? First because the five-door hatchback will be extremely competitive. Then we shall have the estate version from September 2007 and the three-door hatchback at the end of 2007. Eventually there will be enough different ED versions that will allow Kia to enter into new sub-segments and new niches. This new factory and the car it will produce underline how strongly Kia Motors is dedicated to ensuring the long-term sustainability of its European operations and to delivering to its customers high quality vehicles, services and support."

Paul Williams, Managing Director of Kia Motors UK sees clear benefits for UK customers from the start of production at the Zilina plant: "Not only will Zilina deliver greater volume to the UK market, it will also allow us to achieve faster order-to-delivery times and greatly improved flexibility in terms of specifications and ordering. Once Zilina is working at full capacity, we shall see a quantum leap forward in terms of how we deliver customer satisfaction and that will propel us into a significantly higher league in the UK car market as a whole."