Kia Slovakia Produced Record Number of 351,000 Cars Last Year

Teplicka nad Vahom, January 15 (TASR) - The Kia Slovakia carmaker manufactured more than 351,000 vehicles at its plant in Teplicka nad Vahom (Zilina region) in 2024, a record for the factory, Kia Slovakia spokesman Tomas Potocek told a news conference on Wednesday. The Kia Sportage continues to be the model produced in the largest numbers. The three main export markets of Kia Slovakia in 2024 were the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain. A total of 351,270 vehicles left the production plant's lines last year, 0.3 percent more than in the previous year. "The biggest demand was for the Sportage model, with more than 221,000 being manufactured in 2024. The remaining 129,000 vehicles were four versions of the Kia Ceed model," said Potocek. Electric versions accounted for a quarter of the vehicles produced. As many as 18 percent of the company's exports went to the United Kingdom, 11 percent to Germany, and 9 percent to Spain. They were followed by exports to Poland, Italy, France and the Czech Republic. The company exported its cars to 83 countries in total, while more than 7,800 cars remained on the Slovak market. Kia Slovakia is the only company operated by Kia Corporation in Europe. Its plant was built between 2004-2006, and it launched production in December 2006. It employs up to 3,800 people. ko/df