The first-ever car made in Andhra Pradesh — Kia SP2i, an SUV based on the Kia SP Concept —rolled out onto the testing track here on Tuesday with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Kia Motors Corporation CEO Han-Woo Park riding on the prototype entirely manufactured at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.
Kia Motors India, which proposes to start production of five models and variants beginning now, formally launched the trial production in the presence of South Korean Ambassador Shin Bongkil and Kia Motors India CEO Kookhyun Shim.
Kia Motors at its 15th manufacturing facility worldwide, would launch commercial production of SP2i in August/September.
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The manufacturing facility near Penukonda came up in the record time of little over one year, said Mr. Naidu and asked the company to advance its plans of producing electric vehicles (EVs) from 2025 to an earlier date.
Kia Motors India’s venture would propel the foreign investments in the automobile sector and also Andhra Pradesh, said the Chief Minister. Kia Motors presented an Electric Vehicle (Soul EV) to the A.P. government and said this was a part of its Future Mobility Partnership signed with them.
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Terming the Anantapur manufacturing facility one of the green and model units, Mr. Han-Woo Park said 100% of waste water from the plant was recycled.
The company started a training facility along with the AP Skill Development Corporation and had absorbed many youth from the region, Mr. Naidu said. When the plant achieves its full capacity of 3 lakh cars a year in two years, it would provide 4,000 direct and 7,000 indirect jobs, he said.
The CM, showering praise on Mr. Han-Woo Park for speeding up the project, announced that he would appoint him as A.P. ambassador for bringing investments from South Korea.
With an investment of ₹3,000 crore, the company had created a new environment in this arid region that had second lowest rainfall in the country, said Mr. Naidu and hoped this would make it easier for the government to promote the MSME sector.
About 300 robots take up automated press, body paint etc. in the facility, said Mr. Kookhyun Shim.