Kia completes first dedicated EV factory despite industry slowdown

Kia completed construction of its first-ever EV-dedicated plant in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, on Friday, as the automaker accelerates its electrification journey despite the ongoing EV sales slowdown.

EV3s are produced at Kia's EV-dedicated plant in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi. [KIA]

Kia completed construction of its first-ever EV-dedicated plant on Friday, located in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi, as the automaker accelerates its electrification journey despite the ongoing EV sales slowdown.

The EV plant is the result of a reconstruction of a gasoline car factory situated in Autoland, Kia's manufacturing complex that was built in 1987. Kia spent a total of 401.6 billion won ($304.9 million) won on the EV plant, which sits on a 60,000 square meter (645,800 square foot) site.

The facility has an annual capacity of 150,000 units, and Kia's newly launched EV3s will be manufactured at the factory. The EV3 compact SUV is Kia’s third all-electric vehicle developed with its E-GMP EV-dedicated platform, following the EV6 and EV9.

Production of the EV4 is scheduled for the second quarter, with the vehicle slated to launch soon as the brand's first all-electric sedan.

Automated guided vehicles are installed in the facility, where machines carry auto parts and supplies for human workers. Heavy and risky parts such as batteries, wheels and tires are designed to be assembled automatically to maximize the convenience and safety of workers, Kia said.

"Kia's Gwangmyeong EV plant is our first step to cement us as an EV-leading brand," said Kia co-CEO Choi Jun-young. "We will take full responsibility for a sustainable future under our slogan of offering sustainable mobility solutions."

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]