Kia To Suspend Production At South Korea Plant Due To COVID-19

Kia Motors reportedly will suspend production at one of its eight domestic plants from Monday due to COVID-19 infection, as reported by IANS. The South Korean automaker looks to halt production at its plant after several workers were reportedly infected by COVID-19 in recent days. The suspension at assembly line No. 1 of the Sohari facility may be extended further depending on the result of coronavirus tests on its workers, a company spokesman said.

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Kia produces models like the Stinger, K9 flagship sedan and the Carnival minivan at the Sohari plant.

The Sohari plant in Gwangmyeong, which is located near the country's capital of Seoul, has an annual output capacity of 320,000 units and produces models like the Stinger, K9 flagship sedan and the Carnival minivan.

Earlier in May 2021, Kia suspended operations at the number 2 assembly line of the Sohari plant for two days due to a shortage of semiconductors. The company produces the Stonic subcompact SUV at this assembly line.

Kia has eight domestic plants in Korea and seven overseas plants. Kia has three global plants in China and one each in the United States, Slovakia, Mexico and India. Their overall capacity is 3.84 million units.

Earlier in May 2021, Kia suspended operations at the number 2 assembly line of the Sohari plant for two days due to a shortage of semiconductors.

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Last week, Hyundai along with its affiliate Kia reported strong second-quarter earnings on a base effect and strong sales of their high-end SUVs. In the first months, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 3.47 million vehicles, registering a growth of 25 per cent from 2.77 million units in the same period of last year. The companies aim to sell a total of 7.08 million vehicles this year, which is around 1.7 per cent lower than the 7.2 million units they sold last year.