Kia Sportage wins ‘Best Crossover' at 2011 Fleet News Awards
• Fleet News awards prize for ‘Best Crossover' to the Sportage
• Award presented in London on 16 March
• Sportage CO2 emissions from 135g/km
• 2WD and 4WD versions available priced from £17,015 to £26,740
The Kia Sportage won the title of 'Best Crossover' at the 2011 Fleet News Awards held at an awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London last night.
Commenting on their decision to give the 'Best Crossover' award, in its inaugural year, to the Sportage, Stephen Briers, Editor of Fleet News said: "The Sportage is an indication of how far Kia has moved on in recent years. The Sportage looks desirable, is good to drive and is highly competitive on running costs, giving it strong appeal for drivers and fleets. Its efficient diesel engines also offer low CO2 emissions, making the Sportage a worthy winner of our 'Best Crossover' title."
Sportage won the award by fending off competition from the Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Yeti, Nissan Juke and the MINI Countryman.
John Hargreaves, Head of Fleet and Remarketing, Kia Motors (UK) Limited said: "Sportage has already been an enormous success for us, allowing us to attract many new fleet buyers to the brand and we're delighted that Fleet News has recognised Sportage's strengths by awarding it the 'Best Crossover' title. With very strong new products coming this year in the competitive B- and D-segments, we're confident that we will continue to add to our fleet customer base in the coming months."
Sportage is available with CO2 emission levels as low as 135g/km and with the choice of 1.6 or 2.0 litre petrol engines and 1.7 or 2.0 litre diesel units. Two wheel drive and four wheel drive alternatives allow customers to select the best alternative for their particular needs and prices range from £17,015 to £26,740. All Sportages come with Kia's comprehensive and completely transferable seven year warranty.
Kia celebrates grand opening of $1 billion state-of-the-art automobile manufacturing plant in Georgia, USA
• Ceremony attended by some 500 VIPS from Korea and the U.S.
• All-new Sorento CUV entered mass production in November 2009
• KMMG plans to nearly double employment by the end of year
(SEOUL) February 27, 2010 - Officials with Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG), Inc. were joined by dignitaries from the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, the State of Georgia, local city and county officials to celebrate the official grand opening of Kia's first-ever U.S. automobile manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia, capable of producing 300,000 cars annually for the North American and global markets.
The ceremony was attended by approximately 500 VIPs from Korea and the U.S., including Chairman of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group Mong-Koo Chung; Group President and CEO of KMMG and Kia Motors America (KMA) Byung-Mo Ahn; Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue; and a number of other high-ranking Korean government and State of Georgia officials.
"Kia is proud to call West Point, Georgia home and we look forward to many years of growing together," said Ahn. "Continued diligent work has helped elevate Kia to one of the fastest growing automobile brands around the globe. With the successful launch of the 2011 Kia Sorento CUV and establishment of our first manufacturing plant in the United States, the Kia brand is well positioned for further growth and to become a worldwide leader in quality and innovation."
Representing a $1 billion investment by Kia Motors Corporation, the sprawling, new 2.2 million-square-foot (204,000 meter-squared) automobile manufacturing plant is situated on more than 2,200 acres of land. MMG consists of four main shops: stamping, welding, paint and assembly. The site also includes a transmission shop, module shop and a two-mile test track where every vehicle produced by KMMG will be thoroughly tested. KMMG's general assembly area is outfitted with more than a half mile of height-adjustable conveyors to achieve the most favorable installation position for each team member and reduce physical fatigue. It is outfitted with wood flooring, which provides a more comfortable and forgiving work environment for team members.
KMMG's cutting-edge technology ensures high productivity and high efficiency for each process. The stamping press delivers 5,400 tons of pressure and an automatic panel loading system; the fully automated welding shop boasts 242 welding robots; the paint shop uses eco-friendly, water-soluble coatings; and various systems are in place to keep inventory to a minimum via timely parts delivery.
Another highlight is the real-time processing & control system (RPCS) which feeds parts to the production line. It includes a digital signboard enabling timely and appropriate supply of parts via connection to the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, which contains all production data. RPCS also minimizes inventory in the parts warehouse by matching the flow on the production line.
KMMG also features a railway system within the grounds to facilitate transportation. Parts and finished cars are transported into and out of the site via roads and railway in the vicinity.
Governor Perdue noted today's event meant the continuation of a mutually beneficial partnership between the State of Georgia and Kia that will mean many great things for the State in years to come.
"This is a momentous day for Georgia as Kia Motors has brought thousands of new jobs to this area, and is truly delivering as a tremendous corporate citizen," said Governor Perdue. "We value our relationship with Kia and pledge to continue providing specialized training through the Kia Georgia Training Center that will guarantee a quality workforce and the future success of this plant in Georgia."
The massive Kia automobile manufacturing plant and its supplier companies have already provided thousands of jobs. KMMG currently employs more than 1,200 team members and is expected to nearly double that number by the end of the year, while onsite and nearby suppliers will create up to 7,500 additional jobs in the region.
Mass production of the all-new 2011 Kia Sorento CUV began on Nov. 16, 2009 with the product officially going on sale in the U.S. in January of this year. Selling 7,398 units in its first month, the 2011 Sorento was Kia's best-selling vehicle in January.
"The outstanding early performance of the first vehicle produced from our West Point, Georgia plant is a significant achievement for KMMG, KMA and the Kia brand as a whole," said Ahn. "As we grow we will continue to expand our line of vehicles here and abroad while staying true to the Kia brand tenets of value, quality, safety and technology; and KMMG will play a prominent role in achieving our goals."
Despite the industry downturn amid the global recession, Kia Motors' car sales in the US grew by 9.8% over the previous year to 300,063 units in 2009. Kia aims to increase sales by 15.6% to 347,000 vehicles in 2010.