Kia Motors has completed the construction on its $3bn manufacturing plant at Pesqueria in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
The Mexican plant is the company's first plant in Latin America and it joins the other Kia facilities located in Korea, China, Slovakia, Russia and the US.
Spread across 500 hectares, the plant was constructed in 13 months.
The company plans to conduct quality assurance testing and pilot production within the next six months followed by the production of Forte compact sedan starting next year.
The plant will have the production capacity of 300,000-unit annually, which represents around 10% of Kia Motors total global manufacturing output.
Kia Motors along with its suppliers have hired around 4,000 Mexican employees, and the company is expected to generate around 14,000 direct jobs and 56,000 indirect jobs.
Kia Motors Mexico president Seong-Bae Kim said: "Once mass production commences, it will take less than one minute for a vehicle to come off the assembly line, making our facility among the most productive among all Kia plants globally."
""Today more than ever we feel very much a part of this wonderful country and want to convey that pride to all of the citizens of Mexico."
The plant features sophisticated production equipment, and it will use an advanced monitoring system designed to promote improvement in energy saving and environmental conservation.
In order to reduce environmental impact, it will also have a water treatment facility which will prevent soil contamination and harmful runoff into the nearby Pesqueria River.
Image: Kia completes work at its first plant in Latin American plant in Mexico. Photo: courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group.
