Kia to nearly triple electric car production in Slovakia
Kia has been manufacturing cars for the European market at its Slovakian plant in Žilina for twenty years. However, until production of the EV4 began on 20 August, these were exclusively combustion engine and hybrid vehicles. To date, the manufacturer’s electric cars have mainly been imported directly from South Korea.
In future, however, the manufacturer wants to supply local customers with more electric cars from its Eastern European plant. The hatchback version of the electric compact car is said to be just the beginning. Kia wants to almost triple EV production in Žilina over the next two years.
In addition to the EV4, the comparatively affordable EV2 crossover is also expected to generate high volumes from 2026 onwards: “The average annual production of the upcoming EV2 is expected to reach around 100,000 units at the Zilina plant in Slovakia in 2027,” said Kia CEO Ho Sung Song in an interview with trade publication Automotive News Europe in early October.
Kia anticipates strong EV growth in Europe
At the same time, the company expects high demand for the EV4. That is why 80,000 units are to roll off the production line at the Slovakian factory alone from 2027. If the fastback version manufactured in Korea is added, annual production of the VW ID.3 competitor is expected to reach the 100,000 mark. The group is pursuing the same goal with the EV2. Above this volume, the models would become profitable – both for the carmaker and its suppliers.
The total capacity in Žilina is 320,000 cars, but this can be increased to 350,000 if necessary. Kia has already invested €108 million in the site to prepare the factory for production of the EV4 and EV2. Manufacturing in Europe is intended to maintain the company’s momentum in electric drive systems. While its total sales fell by three per cent in August, electric car sales rose to 71,179. This represents an increase of 56 per cent.
The main driver of growth in this segment is the small EV3 SUV, which sold over 45,000 units in the first eight months of this year. This puts it in second place in the internal sales ranking behind the Sportage and seventh place in the ranking of the best-selling electric cars in Europe. For Kia, this should bode well for EV4 sales – the manufacturer’s first classic electric compact car shares much of its technology with the EV3 and competes in one of the highest-volume segments of in Europe.
This article was first published by Elias Holdenried for electrive’s German edition
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