Kia Slovakia Launches All-Electric EV4 Production at Its Zilina Plant

Teplicka nad Vahom/Zilina, 23 August (TASR) - Carmaker Kia Slovakia has officially launched production of the EV4 electric vehicle at its plant in Teplicka nad Vahom (Zilina region), company spokesperson Tomas Potocek told TASR earlier this week, adding that the EV4 is Kia's first fully electric vehicle to be produced in Europe. The company started preparations for the project last year as part of a €108-million investment for upgrading the production lines, installing a new conveyor belt for battery assembly and adapting technology in the pressing, welding and painting shops, including in particular the assembly hall. "We've been thoroughly preparing for the launch of the EV4 for a long time. Combining advanced production technologies with the dedication of our skilled employees, we've managed to launch serial production successfully," said Potocek, adding that the EV4 will be rolling out from the same production lines as the existing Sportage and XCeed models. The annual production volume of electric vehicles is hard to predict at the moment, but with the current launch of the EV4, plus the EV2 model starting at the beginning of next year, it might increase to tens of percent from the current 25 percent share of the total output of hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions, he said. Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) noted that the upgrade of the carmaker's production lines was supported by the government with €30 million in tax relief. She said that as the headcount in Slovakia's automotive industry is some 280,000 employees, "supporting all investment activities and the development of the automotive industry in Slovakia is in the full interests of this government." Kia Slovakia is the only production plant belonging to the Kia Corporation in Europe. It was built between 2004 and 2006 and started rolling out cars and engines in December 2006. Last year, the plant produced more than 351,000 vehicles, mainly for the markets in the UK, Germany and Spain. jrg/df/mf