Kia’s manufacturing plant in Slovakia achieved a significant production milestone in its history with the manufacture of its four‑millionth vehicle, which on May 24 was a Kia Sportage model.
Kia Slovakia launched series vehicle production in 2006 and has since played a key role in expanding the Kia brand in Europe. The first vehicles produced at the plant belonged to the Ceed model range, which is still manufactured today and continues to be designed and produced in Europe primarily for European customers. The Ceed models were introduced together with a unique seven‑year warranty, which helped them become highly popular among customers.
Kia Slovakia surpassed the milestone of one million vehicles produced in 2012, adding another million every three years thereafter. To date, a total of four million vehicles have rolled off production lines capable of manufacturing up to eight different models. Production includes all models from the Ceed family—Ceed, Ceed GT, Ceed Sportswagon, ProCeed, and XCeed—as well as the last three generations of the Sportage model.
“Only thanks to the efforts of our production operators, all employees, and our suppliers have we been able to achieve this incredible milestone in our history. Kia Slovakia has long been a symbol of outstanding quality, efficiency, safety, and modern technologies, which is confirmed by the success of our models in Europe,” said Seok‑Bong Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Kia Slovakia, thanking the company’s employees.
Kia Slovakia is one of Slovakia’s major manufacturers and exporters, employing 3,700 people supported by modern robotics. A recent EUR 70 million investment has enabled the production and assembly of new gasoline engines in response to changing market demands. Kia manufactures highly efficient gasoline engines complemented by a 1.6‑liter diesel “Smartstream” engine.
