Kia’s Zilina plant in Slovakia produced a record 292,000 cars and 464,000 engines in 2012 – its highest output to date and respective increases of 15% and 29% over 2011.
A three shift operation was introduced with 3,900 workers in January 2012, building the C-segment cee’d (three body styles), B-segment Venga and Sportage SUV.
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The 2013 target is 290,000 vehicles and 490,000 engines.
Production of the redesigned three-door pro_cee’d variant starts this quarter; output of the five-door hatchback and wagons began in 2012.
In 2012, Zilina plant built 136,500 Sportage (47%), 120,600 cee’d (41%), and 34,900 Venga (12%). Sportage output was up 34% year on year; the current model was launched in 2010.
Last year about 22% of production went to Russia, 12% to the UK, 11% to Germany, 6% to France and 5% to Italy.
Engine output of 464,000 was up 29% with diesels accounting for 45%. The most popular engine assembled at Zilina in 2012 was the 1.6-litre diesel – 21%.
