2012 Kia Optima Production Kicks Off in Georgia

Kia is an automaker that can do no wrong right now - their sales have jumped by 36 percent in the record second US quarter, and the new Optima is largely to blame for this. Thus, the Korean automaker has announced that its production facilities at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, which is located in West Point, have officially begun production of the 2012 Optima sedan.

The Optima will be churned out from the same manufacturing plant as the popular Sorento, shifting production from the South Korean plant where the mid-size was being churned out for export. To cope with the extra work at West Point, Kia has recently added a third shift that raised the total number of jobs created at the plant to more than 3,000.

Their state-of-the-art facilities are the result of a $1 billion investment in the production lines that started delivering the Sorento in November of 2009.The Optima spells good news for those parts suppliers working with the automaker.

"Kia has become one of the fastest growing car companies in the U.S. thanks in large part to the success of KMMG, the addition of new team members, and the critically-acclaimed Optima to the production line is further evidence of our commitment to the U.S. and local economy," said B.M. Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America (KMA) and KMMG.

"The attention to detail and dedication to world-class quality shared by each KMMG team member is the primary reason for Kia Motors' decision to invest an additional $100 million to expand the plant's four main shops to support Optima production," the exec adds.