When buying a car, one of the key criteria is where it is assembled. Many parameters depend on this - the level of adaptation to local roads, quality and even technical characteristics of the vehicle.
With increasing demand, large manufacturers are opening factories in many countries around the world.
The South Korean company KIA, which has a wide geography of factories, is no exception.
Where are cars of this brand made? Where do cars come to the Russian market from?
Kia Sid
A golf-class car, which has been among the sales leaders over the past few years.
For the Russian market, LEDs are assembled at Avtotor in Kaliningrad, and for the CIS markets at an enterprise in Kazakhstan.
The most powerful plant is the South Korean enterprise, whose products can be found all over the world.
Kia car assembly in Mexico
In which countries and where is LED collected, factories in Russia
The KIA Ceed's car is a model of a famous brand, produced since 2006. The first performance took place at the Paris Motor Show.
Since 2007, a 5-door version of the car and a station wagon have been sold in Europe, and a year later the Sid with a 3-door body appeared.
The KIA Ceed\'s car is positioned as a car for Europe. At the same time, the model replaced the already outdated Cerato.
Kia Sid cars are produced in many countries. The main supplier for Europe is a plant in Slovakia (Zilina).
KIA Ceed\'s comes to the CIS market from Kazakhstan (city of Ust-Kamenogorsk). The needs of the residents of the Russian Federation are covered by Kaliningrad.
It is worth noting that the KIA Sid model was initially aimed at the European market. That is why the main bet is on a large plant located in Slovakia.
The process of preparation for production and the release itself took place in several stages:
- In May 2006, the Slovak plant began operations;
- In December 2007, the production line officially opened. In addition to the cars themselves, transmissions and engines are produced;
- In October 2008, the 100,000th KIA Ceed was produced.
After some time, in Kaliningrad (on) it was possible to establish large-unit assembly.
A special feature of this plant is its extensive experience in the production and assembly of many other brands of cars - BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Opel and others. In the workshop where KIA Ceed's are produced today, Chevrolets were previously made.
When choosing a machine, special attention is paid to build quality. As for KIA Sid cars made in the Russian Federation, there are no serious complaints here. Each car undergoes additional inspection and testing after production.
At the same time, the company administration personally monitors quality control and is directly responsible to the management of the concern.
From the moment the assembly of KIA Ceed's began at the plant in Kaliningrad, one of the employees was a representative of the Slovak plant.
At the same time, it is no secret that cars “originally” from Slovakia are of the highest quality, because they are produced mostly for the Russian market.
Since 2010, Avtotor started producing a new line of cars. Externally, the model has not changed much, but some changes did occur.
The new KIA Ceed's has a stability control system, cruise control and air conditioning with two operating zones. In addition, the number of airbags has increased to ten.
As mentioned above, large-scale assembly is carried out in Kaliningrad (including for Kia Sid). The main work is carried out in Slovakia, from where almost finished cars come to the Russian Federation.
The engine, seats, wheels and rear part of the cabin are installed at the Kaliningrad plant.
The main task for manufacturers is to reduce taxation costs, production costs and the final price for consumers in this way.
Kia Cerato
At the moment, Cerato is on the list of sales leaders in Russia. Until 2013, the car was made in South Korea and Kazakhstan.
It is worth noting that the new modification of the model is also assembled at a Russian plant.
In 2006, when the second generation of Cerato was introduced, the “Korean” began to be assembled in the USA. Kia Clarus
Clarus is one of the few Korean cars that was assembled exclusively at its own factories. To be fair, it is worth noting that for a short period of time the assembly took place at the Kaliningrad Avtotor.
In which countries and where is the Kia Sportage 2016 assembled, factories in Russia
The KIA Sportage model is a well-known crossover that entered production back in 1992. At the present stage, the fourth generation is already being produced.
The reasons for its popularity in various markets are the quality and affordable cost of the machine. The manufacturer managed to create an outwardly attractive and reliable model, characterized by an original design and a high level of comfort.
The Kia Sportage car, due to its characteristics, is in great demand in Russia. One of the factors is the presence of a plant in the Russian Federation that produces machines adapted to more stringent operating conditions.
Initially, KIA Sportage was assembled at factories in Germany, after which a large share of production “migrated” to South Korea, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Slovakia and Russia.
Indonesian-made cars do not reach the Russian market, but domestic car enthusiasts have a chance to buy a Sportage of recent years, produced in Kazakhstan, Slovakia, the Russian Federation and Korea.
To find out which country the car was assembled in, just look at the VIN code (located on the windshield).
The first letters can be as follows:
- KNE - South Korean production;
- XWE - car manufactured in the Russian Federation;
- U5Y - Slovak assembly.
Production in Slovakia began in 2000. The plant in Žilina covers an area of 223 hectares and employs more than 3,000 people. The total production volume is 300 thousand cars annually.
Kia Sportage is also produced in Russia, at a plant in Kaliningrad.
When buying a car, you should know that the main assembly process of the KIA Sportage takes place in Slovakia, after which the car is disassembled into vehicle kits and sent to the Russian Federation for large-scale assembly.
For comparison, when assembling a car in Slovakia, 2000 operations are performed, and in the Russian Federation - 20.
But such limited participation is not in vain, and buyers have serious complaints about the build quality.
Most often, complaints concern door adjustments that open and close poorly. By the way, Korean-assembled cars do not have such defects.
Another problem with the domestic version of the KIA Sportage is incomplete charging of the air conditioner and excessive bending of one of the tubes in the refrigerant circuit.
For this reason, when the air conditioner operates, additional noise may occur, which is eliminated under warranty.
Kia Mojave
Even at the initial stage of development, company representatives claimed that the Kia Mojave SUV would only be supplied to the United States. But later, it was decided to export the model to the Russian market.
Today, Mojave is assembled at Avtotor in Kaliningrad, as well as in Kazakhstan and South Korea.
It is worth noting that in the USA the SUV is called the Kia Borrego.
Photo: Kia assembly in Korea
In which countries and where is Rio assembled, factories in Russia
The KIA Rio car belongs to the small class, produced since 2000. From the first days of sales, Rio created a real sensation.
Many experts recognized this model as one of the safest and most reliable among all representatives of the South Korean automobile market.
The category of fans also included residents of Russia, among whom the KIA Rio was no less in demand.
The issue of machine assembly and its quality deserves special attention. Thus, KIA Rio has been sold since 2000, including in Russia.
Initially, assembly took place in South Korea (this is where the cars came from to the domestic market). Russian-assembled Kia Rio appeared only in 2005.
The creation of the model was undertaken by , who worked for only five years. When production was restarted in 2011 (for the “additional release” of some models), the KIA Rio was no longer assembled.
Capacities for the production of KIA cars are also available in Kaliningrad, but due to the lack of necessary equipment for the production of the model, the process of producing Rio at Avtotor was short-lived.
Since 2011, KIA Rios have been assembled at a new plant in St. Petersburg. At the same time, the Russian version of the car was significantly different from those versions that were sold in Europe.
The only similarity is the appearance, but otherwise the car was redesigned for use on Russian roads.
In addition to Russia, Kia Rio is produced in many parts of the world. The main facilities are concentrated in South Korea, where there are five factories. In addition, the cars were produced in the following countries - Ukraine, Turkey, India, China, Indonesia and others.
There is only one Rio assembly workshop each in the Russian Federation and China. The model has been produced in the USA since 2009, and in Slovakia since 2006.
As for the quality of the Russian assembly, the main complaints here concern the quality of the screws and the unevenness of the gaps.
In addition, the Russian version of the Kia Rio is characterized by the presence of heat shrink or electrical tape on certain sections of the wiring.
Sometimes complaints are made about plastic panels (there are defects) and about excessive creaking of the seat backs. In addition, the domestically assembled KIA Rio has problems with sound insulation.
Many car owners have to soundproof their car fender liners.
A little about aspects of Russian production of Kia
In the domestic space, Korean models began to be assembled in the mid-2000s at the facilities of the IzhAvto enterprise. But by 2010, this production ceased its activities. After another year, assembly was resumed, although not for all models. Today Kia Rio is not assembled at these facilities.
Currently, the assembly baton has been taken over by St. Petersburg together with Kaliningrad, where the assembly line production of the popular “Korean” Kia Rio in the third generation has been established. A feature of these productions is the production of only template cars, characterized by large-scale production.
Shumka Kia Rio 3
Changing the oil in a Kia Rio box
This means that these manufacturers do not have the right to make any changes to the approved design, unlike their American partners. In the USA, factories meet the needs of their customers and equip cars with the options they choose, even if they are not included in the standard equipment.
The Kaliningrad enterprise does not participate in the process of distributing finished cars, because this is the prerogative of the company, which has two subsidiaries at its disposal: SoKia and Avtotor. When buying a car, the client enters into a contractual relationship with one of these entities. It was with Avtotor that the Korean automobile giant established a long-term partnership.
Assembly production here started back in 1996. Models that were popular at that time began to roll off the assembly line: the Sportage crossover and a couple of cars - Avella and Clarus.
In 2012, the production complex showed its readiness to mobilize into large-scale production, involving the appearance of new models on the assembly line. Today the company is busy assembling six Kia Rio models.
A car that is assembled at a domestic enterprise has significant differences from analogues produced in other countries. For example, the third-generation Rio will be pleased with its complete adaptation to the influence of domestic climatic and road conditions. For these purposes, we have developed specialized equipment.
The St. Petersburg plant was built in a short period of time: construction began in July 2008, and by September 2010 the enterprise was functioning at full capacity. At first, only Hyundai Solaris were produced, and in 2011, production of KIA Rio began.
Manufacturer information
The South Korean company Kia Motors Corporation has been operating since 1944. In the 90s of the last century, the automobile plant, transformed into a giant enterprise, fully met the internal needs for cars of its brand.
In 1998, having survived a severe crisis, the company became part of the Hyundai Motor group. Since then, Hyundai and Kia vehicles have become complementary platforms. Also, Hyundai is the first to enter the market, followed by Kia on the same platform.
In 2022, the three millionth Kia vehicle was sold. The company took second place in the country and seventh in the world in the production of cars of various classes and modifications.
Sources
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All factories where Kia Rio is assembled
The car is assembled at the following enterprises:
- Gwangmyeon and Beijing, South Korea;
- Yancheng, China;
- Ecuador, South America;
- Indonesia, Southeast Asia;
- Parañaque City, Philippines;
- based on Hyundai production facilities in St. Petersburg, Russia;
- Kaliningrad, Russia;
- Lutsk and Zaporozhye, Ukraine;
- West Point, USA;
- Zilina, Slovakia;
- Milan, Italy;
- Frankfurt, Germany.
Addresses of factories in all countries can be found on the international Kia website.
The head office is located in Gwangmyeon. Rio models for the Asian region are assembled here. In Yancheng, production is focused only on China.
Also read: Features of the Kia Cee'd ED: appearance and interior design, technical characteristics, safety and transmission, technical disadvantages
About the shortcomings of the Russian assembly, which were identified by car owners.
For example doors. They are difficult to open and close. If complaints come from dissatisfied customers, the authorized dealer leaves with the words "Relieve cabin pressure." Normal car owners cannot solve this problem manually.
Another problem that usually worries car owners in the summer is air conditioning. The problem lies not only in filling containers with low-quality refrigerant, but also in bending pipes. One of them is fixed in the wrong position, which creates a constant noise when the air conditioner is on and running. In addition, the containers are not completely filled with refrigerant. Therefore, even when operating at full power, the air conditioner does not cool the interior of the Kia Sportage as it should.
The mechanics also note that the windshield is soft. The guarantee is given to him only for two years, for which he will live, but no longer. When struck by a small stone, deep cracks can form.
Where on the planet is Kia assembled?
For Kia Rio, the main manufacturing country is South Korea. The Kia concern also assembles cars in Europe, America and Asia in order to reduce the cost of models and the cost of transportation to car dealerships.
Many countries impose taxes on the import of vehicles, thereby reducing competition for local automakers. Since Kia cars are in demand all over the world, whose brands are rated positively by drivers, the concern decided to expand its network of factories. Especially where there is high demand for products. Factories (as of 2022) are located in China, Korea, America, Indonesia, the Philippines, Germany, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Ecuador, Slovakia.
This company policy allows us to increase the economy of Korea and the countries where Kia Rio is assembled. They built their own factories, and also used the facilities of the famous Hyundai concern.
How to determine where a car is assembled
Let's see how to determine where the Kia Sportage is assembled:
- the letters XWE on the VIN indicate that the car was assembled by our craftsmen;
- the letters KNE on the VIN indicate that the car was assembled in Korea;
- the letters U6Y on the VIN indicate that the car was assembled in Slovakia.
Test drive of the KIA Sportage car and expert conclusions
Many automotive publications, professional websites and channels talk about how good the Sportage is, and how important it is to have such a car in the arsenal of an active young man. But little is said about the negative aspects of the sports crossover. Indeed, it turns out that the car also has shortcomings. Imperfect assembly causes quite unpleasant problems from the first days of operation. A car with an old diesel engine is not only incredibly expensive, but also very extravagant to use. Otherwise, the KIA Sportage really has many positive features:
- This car drives well on any road, you won’t feel the poor quality of the surface;
- the extraordinary integrity of the model allows you to feel all the sporting nuances of travel;
- comfortable interior, excellent seat ergonomics allow all passengers to sit comfortably;
- excellent design of the dashboard is as informative as possible and very convenient in all respects;
- this car is capable of overcoming light off-road conditions and overcoming any problems on the road;
- A quick long journey will bring a lot of pleasure to both the driver and all passengers of such a car.
You can get a personalized KIA Sportage benefit by visiting an authorized dealer showroom and taking the car for a test drive. It is at this time that it will be determined whether this is your car. Often, potential buyers, inspired by videos and reviews, come to the exhibition, take the car for a test and are disappointed with its behavior. This is not a car for every buyer. Maybe you like the Japanese Qashqai or the Korean compatriot Sportage Hyundai ix35 Tucson. Perhaps you prefer the comfort and sporty looks of the Toyota RAV 4 or the femininity and serenity of the Volkswagen Tiguan. All these cars are in the same price range. The base price of the Sportage in Russia is 1,050,000 rubles, but this price may soon change to a much higher one. Watch a short video with a test drive of this unusual model:
