Kia has officially commenced production of the Sportage Hybrid at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia, marking a significant milestone in the company's U.S. electrification strategy.
On June 2 (local time), Kia celebrated the rollout of the first Sportage Hybrid manufactured at the state-of-the-art facility. Showcasing the plant's advanced automation capabilities, the inaugural vehicle made its on-stage debut atop an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR).
The Sportage Hybrid is the first Kia-branded vehicle and the first hybrid model to be assembled at HMGMA. It joins a production lineup that already includes Hyundai's IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 electric SUVs. With the addition of this hybrid variant, HMGMA has further solidified its role as a dual hub for both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).
This move is a core component of Kia's plan to scale up SUV production for the U.S. market while accelerating the electrification of its entire vehicle lineup.
By leveraging the combined capacities of its existing West Point plant and the new Metaplant, Kia aims to achieve total annual production of 550,000 units in the U.S. by 2030.
“The Sportage Hybrid remains one of our top-selling models, and its production here at the Metaplant will be a primary driver of Kia's continued growth in the United States,” said Steven Center (Seung-kyu Yoon), COO and Executive Vice President of Kia America.
