Kia Slovakia Produced 296,550 Vehicles Last Year

Bratislava, 17 January (TASR) - The number of cars manufactured at the Kia Slovakia plant in Teplicka nad Vahom near Zilina fell by approximately 15 percent year-on-year in 2025, company spokesman Tomas Potocek told a press conference held by the Automotive Industry Association in Bratislava this week, adding that 296,550 vehicles were manufactured last year. In 2024, the carmaker produced a record number of 351,270 vehicles, approximately 1,000 more than the previous year. "After two record years, the number of vehicles produced reflects the end of three body versions of the highly successful Ceed model, but it also reflects the gradual production introduction of the first fully electric EV4 vehicles," stated Potocek. The Sportage model accounted for the largest share of cars produced in 2025, representing 69 percent of the total. The three body styles of the Ceed model range made up 26 percent, and the EV4 electric model accounted for 5 percent for the first time. Electrified versions made up nearly 35 percent of production last year. Kia Slovakia exported its vehicles to a total of 73 countries in 2025, with Europe being the most important export region. "The most frequent destinations for vehicles were the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Poland and Italy. Last year, 7,032 vehicles remained on the domestic Slovak market, representing 2.4 percent of production," noted Potocek. The spokesman added that the carmaker produced a total of almost 470,000 engines in 2025, including the milestone eight millionth one. "Approximately 92 percent of the engines produced in 2025 were petrol engines, with 54 percent of the engines produced for our Kia Slovakia plant," added Potocek. Another 45 percent were sent to the Czech Hyundai plant in Nosovice, while less than 1 percent went to the Hyundai plant in Turkey. Kia Slovakia is Kia Corporation's only manufacturing plant in Europe. The plant was built between 2004-2006. Car and engine production began in December 2006. The average salary for production workers reached €2,540 per month in 2025. am/df/ko