Kia on the 21st (local time) completed a CKD (completely knocked down) joint plant in Kostanay, in northwestern Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
$310 million (441.9 billion won) was invested in building the plant. Annual production capacity is about 70,000 units, and the total site area reaches 630,000 square meters, about the size of 88 soccer fields.
Kia began mass production of the Sorento to coincide with the completion. Next year it plans to produce the Sportage, and it will expand production models in line with local market demand.
President Song Ho-sung said, "The Kazakhstan CKD plant is part of Kia's global vision to create sustainable value through customer-centric innovation and electrification."
Earlier, in 2022, Kia built a Sportage CKD contract manufacturing plant (annual capacity of 10,000 units) in Kostanay Region. Total production capacity in Kazakhstan has reached 80,000 units per year.
Vehicles produced in Kazakhstan will be exported to nearby markets such as Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, strengthening the brand's foothold in Central Asia.
At the completion ceremony were President Song Ho-sung of Kia and First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar of Kazakhstan, along with senior government officials and partner company representatives. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan attended the event via video.