South Korean automaker Kia plans to invest $200 million to its Georgia assembly plant to build the soon-to-arrive in the U.S. EV9 all-electric crossover. The push is just the latest move by a foreign automaker to build EVs in the U.S. to gain access to federal tax credits.
The company appears to be transitioning its existing plant in West Point, Georgia over to building electric vehicles. The EV9, which recently made its global debut, will be the first all-electric model produced in North America, increasing its chances to be eligible for as much as $7,500 in federal tax credits.
The expansion will create nearly 200 additional jobs with EV9 joining the Telluride, Sorento and Sportage SUVs and the K5 midsize sedan as the fifth model to be assembled at Kia Georgia, officials noted.
“Like Telluride, EV9 has the potential to be another ‘game changer’ for Kia,” said Sean Yoon, president & CEO, Kia North America and Kia America. “This will be the most sophisticated vehicle that we have ever built and will be a standout in the EV market and on the road. Best of all, it will be assembled in West Point, Georgia.”
Plenty more where that came from
Georgia is quickly becoming a popular place for automakers to build electric vehicles. Hyundai is building a $5.5 billion plant just outside of Savannah, Georgia to build EVs, plus it’s building another $5.5 billion facility nearby with partner SK Innovation to produce batteries.
SK already partners with Ford Motor Co. in north Georgia to produce batteries for its North American EVs. Rivian announced plans not long ago to build its second facility, a $5 billion endeavor, in the state as well.
However, the growth isn’t limited to Georgia as Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan are seeing billions of dollars in new electric-vehicle-based investments from Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Ford, Honda, General Motors, Stellantis and more.