Kia planning to produce a new model at its assembly plant in Slovakia in 2012

Slovak news agency TASR said Kia Motors wants to produce a new model at its assembly plant in Slovakia in 2012. After meeting with Prime Minister Iveta Radicova, head of Kia Motors Slovakia, In-Kyu Bae, told reporters that the carmaker launched two new models in 2010. Kia Motors Slovakia has a factory in the northern town of Zilina with an annual capacity of 300,000 cars. The factory builds two SUV models, the Hyundai ix35 and Kia Sportage, and the Kia Cee'd compact car. Kia recently said it expected Zilina output to rise in 2011 driven mainly by production of the two SUVs. The Zilina plant built 207,000 vehicles in the first 11 months of 2010, registering a more than 50 percent increase year-on-year. It expects to manufacture 228,000 cars in 2010, up from 150,020 units last year. [via autonews - sub. required]