Kia Motors Europe today announced that it has manufactured its 2,000,000th car in Europe since starting production in 2006.
The state-of-the-art production facility, based in Žilina, Slovakia, is Kia’s only manufacturing plant in Europe, but it accounts for over 56% of Kia’s total European sales. The cee’d model family – incorporating the cee’d hatchback, Sportswagon and pro_cee’d three-door hatchback – is produced at the facility, alongside the Kia Sportage, the brand’s best-selling model in Europe, and the Venga. The high-powered cee’d GT and pro_cee’d GT, Kia’s first ever performance models, are also manufactured in Žilina.
The 2,000,000th car to roll off Kia’s European production line was a high-powered Kia pro_cee’d GT in metallic ‘Deluxe White’. The car and its powerful 204 ps 1.6-litre T-GDI (turbo gasoline direct injection) engine were both produced in Slovakia – the car is destined for a buyer in Belgium, who will take delivery of the milestone Kia later this month.
Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer of Kia Motors Europe, commented: “Since we began production in 2006, the output of our Slovakian facility has grown consistently. Žilina is central to the brand’s expansion in the region, and now produces a range of high quality, European-designed, European-engineered cars that buyers want to own.”
Last year, Kia produced over 323,000 cars and 493,000 engines in Slovakia, representing a 12-month production record for the company. Since volume production began, the popular Kia cee’d model family has accounted for half of overall production, followed by the Sportage and Venga. Kia models from the facility are exported to 76 global markets, with the majority of cars going to buyers across Europe and Russia.
Every Kia car sold in Europe benefits from Kia’s unique 7-Year, 150,000 km warranty.
