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Kia Motors is set to build its EV9 SUV in Georgia starting in 2024, the latest example of how the company is retooling existing plants to accelerate domestic production of electric vehicles.
The EV9, which debuted at the New York Auto Show April 5, is the first electric SUV the Kia brand will make in the U.S. Starting in 2024, it be built at the West Point, Ga., plant that was established in 2009 and has until this point only made internal combustion engine vehicles, its current lineup consisting of the Sorento, Telluride, K5 and Sportage.
The move also shows how Hyundai Motor Group is using its existing footprint in the Southeast to expand EV production even as it races to build a massive purpose-built plant near Savannah.
Quickly bringing more capacity to the U.S. has taken on a new urgency with the Inflation Reduction Act, which requires a vehicle’s final assembly to be conducted in North America to qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit.
Hyundai announced last year that it will make the electrified Genesis GV60 at its plant in Montgomery, Ala., which arrived years before Kia and precipitated a Korean car boom up the I-85 corridor put Georgia on the map for Korean automotive investors.
It’s unclear whether the EV9 will require any expansion to the plant or will affect other models.
Learn more about the EV9 here.