U.S. drivers have been taken by the award-winning Kia brand. We're not just saying that either. You can look at the numbers...demand keeps climbing to higher and higher plateaus and the plant in West Point, Georgia, is just about maxed out, in terms of production capacity. To ensure, the company does not fall behind consumer demand, Kia is planning an expansion.

Specifically, the Korean automaker is planning to grow four of the plant's primary shops, including: stamping, welding, painting, and general assembly. This will add approximately 1,000 jobs to the facility and raise annual production levels by 20 percent (from 300,000 units to 360,000 units), underscoring the largest market share gain this year.

The leader in growth among the 10 largest automakers in the U.S., Kia successfully raised its U.S. share by 0.8 percent to 3.8 through May and has expanded a total of 45 percent, in 2011 alone. "It's both skill and luck," said Ed Kim, Analysts, Auto Pacific Inc. "Their latest round of products is very good. There is also the circumstance that competitors...don't have much to sell. That's allowing Kia to get more attention."¹

The already-underway expansion plans include developments to four of the plant's primary shopes, including: stamping, welding, painting, and general assembly. Slated to be done by the beginning of next year, the expansion plans will ultimately allow the plant to add production of  the 2012 Optima mid-size sedan to that of the best-selling Sorento. Kia announced it would be moving Optima production stateside at the beginning of the year.

Interested more about late-breaking developments at Kia? Stay tuned. Paul Cerame Kia of 11655 New Halls Ferry in Florissant, MO, is dedicated to keeping you up to date.

Source: ¹http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-03/kia-pushes-u-s-expansion-as-market-share-gain-leads-industry.html