Kia to revamp hybrid engine production line in Hwaseong

Kia‘s Telluride

Kia Corp. is set to revamp its production lines to mass-produce hybrid engines for the second-generation Telluride, a strategic sport utility vehicle model targeting the North American market.

According to industry sources on Sunday, Kia will halt operations on some production lines at its Hwaseong engine plant from early July until mid-February next year to begin renovations.

The company will conduct test runs and quality assurance processes for the new equipment during this period, aiming to start mass production in May 2025.

The facility will produce the Theta III engine with gasoline direct injection (Theta III T-GDi). The annual production target is 110,000 units, with plans to modify additional lines if demand increases.

The first vehicle equipped with the Theta III T-GDi engine from Hwaseong will be the second-generation Telluride, manufactured and sold at Kia‘s West Point facility in Georgia, the United States.

The new engines are scheduled to start being supplied to West Point in August next year.

Currently, Kia is working on the new car project “LQ2,” involving the fully redesigned second-generation Telluride.

The LQ2 project began producing initial vehicles in March and plans to release the gasoline model around November next year, followed by the hybrid model in January 2026.

While the first-generation Telluride only had a gasoline model, the second generation will add a hybrid variant.

The new engine offers improved output relative to displacement compared to the existing naturally aspirated engine, with better fuel efficiency due to direct fuel injection into the engine combustion chamber.