Kia Motors begins trial production at its Andhra Pradesh plant

Following its debut in to the Indian market during the 2018 Auto Expo, Kia has now commenced trial production at its all-new manufacturing facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. 

The completion of the plant also marks the arrival of Kia’s first ever offering for the Indian market, the SP2i - a Creta-rivalling SUV based on the SP concept which was shown at the Auto Expo. Trial production of the SP2i will allow Kia to synchronize its manufacturing equipment and processes before series production commences later this year. 

Besides the start of trial production, Kia has also consolidated it's future mobility partnership with the government of Andhra Pradesh by handing over a new Kia Soul EV. Kia says it wants to support the state government in promoting the upstake of EVs and developing a local charging infrastructure. 

Now that it's up and running, Kia’s all-new manufacturing facility is expected to begin series production in the second half of 2019 and produce approximately 3 lakh vehicles per year.