Despite a worldwide economic crisis and plummeting U.S. auto sales, Korean automaker Kia is planning to proceed as scheduled with its plans for an assembly plant in the United States. Company spokesman Michael Choo said the slumping economy doesn’t change Kia’s long-term goals.
“No change has been made to our schedule to complete the plant by the end of November and to start production in December,” Choo told the Associated Press.
The news follows a report by South Korean news agency Yonhap indicating the West Point, Georgia factory could be put on the back-burner. Choo said the $1.2 billion facility will not be delayed, and production is expected to start in 2009.
The plant was originally designed to produce 300,000 vehicles per year, but it’s conceivable that number might be lower initially. The factory is expected to employ 2,500 workers.
Kia ’s November 2008 sales fell 37 percent in the United States, to 15,182 units, compared to November 2007. Granted, this is pretty much in line with the declines seen by all major automakers in November.
