Hyundai and Kia increase European production capacity

Hyundai and Kia increase European production capacity
The Koreans have been on form for quite some time now, and they’re even making headway in Europe, the toughest battleground for Asian manufacturers. Demand for new models has pushed Hyundai to increase production at its Czech Republic factory.

Originally, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech (HMMC) planned to move from two-shift to three-shift production at the start of October, but has been doing so since last week (19 Sept). The company hired 800 new employees to work on this extra shift. In total, Hyundai and its suppliers employ 10,000 people in the Nošovice area of the Czech Republic.

The up in production is thanks to rising demand for the ix35 (Tucson to us) and Frankfurt debutant new i30, which will hit the showrooms early next year. By the way, HMMC has stepped from one shift to three in less than three years.

Sister brand Kia also has plans to increase production. The more youthful brand of the duo will introduce a third production shift at its European production hub in Slovakia along with 1,000 new staff. Three-shift operations are scheduled to start in Zilina by the first quarter of 2012.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • LatukBandar on Sep 27, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    am not a big fan of korean products, but i have to give credit where credit is due. they are out there to compete and win market share, unlike our perodua and to a lesser extend proton.

    p.s. Mr.Proton, please hire the best, not hire based on race and religion. No, am not saying you should hire chinese or indian, if u must, hire a black man that is good… anyone that will bring the company forward.

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    • Actually it got nothing to do with race.. Its more towards hiring a good keyperson, ethical and a good sense of patriotism.. If QC is super tight.. I think everything will go smoothly.. my2cent.. From the way i see it.. Car park hicom hq full with standard gaban or stock vehicles.. Dont see any passionate owner about their vehicles at all.. Day in day out routine is the real problem..

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      • MoFaz on Sep 27, 2011 at 3:29 pm

        yup, now they’re doing it. Dr. Wolfgang Karl Epple was previously with BMW for 23 years. He is now Director Of Quality in Proton. let’s wait for P3-21A to judge their achievement.

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      • scgtimk1 on Sep 28, 2011 at 10:30 am

        Kereta Standard Gaban bawak pegi keje aje bro,

        belum tau keta ‘passionate’ diaorang kat rumah lagi…

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    • Expatriate VN on Sep 27, 2011 at 4:28 pm

      Dreams on! As far as NAP big brother and cronies vendor is still the “VIP of P1”, they will continue to produce shitty cars.

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  • GOOD JOB TO KOREANSS !!!

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  • brother on Sep 27, 2011 at 12:58 pm

    And still someone here keep saying korean cars are crappp??

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    • squawk on Sep 27, 2011 at 1:06 pm

      Or maybe Europeans have crappy taste. :-P

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    • Black Dog on Sep 27, 2011 at 1:08 pm

      When those guys wake up from their slumber, the opportunity has passed by….

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  • yippi33 on Sep 27, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    testdrived KIA sportage last saturday…all i can say that the car lacks excitement..the steering is too light and the driving comfort is missing..its a german car on the outside..but still pretty much korean on the inside.

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    • MoFaz on Sep 27, 2011 at 3:44 pm

      yeah.. tested it last saturday too in KSL, JB. i find it modern and stylish, with soo many features that put CRV to shame. i wish the upcoming CRV could match the Sportage. i like it soo much but i still reluctant to put booking for it due to 2nd-had price. 3yrs old Sportage now RM65k while a same age CRV could still withhold RM115k price. I’m not buying a car thinking to sell it later, but the point is.. the insured value would drop much lower than your loan balance. IF total lost in accident, or stolen, you’d have to pay a lot to settle your loan.

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  • Expatriate VN on Sep 27, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    See how Korean beat the turf in EU continent with 3 shifts, yet our Jaguh Kampong P1 Tg Malim still 1 shift at 1/3 capacity. Kudo to Hyundai and Kia, Shame on you Jaguh Kampong.

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    • autojohndoe on Sep 27, 2011 at 7:12 pm

      yet you keep living in this “kampung”…

      why you choose this Kampung, not the World of Korea?

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      • haters gonna hate on Sep 27, 2011 at 10:15 pm

        plese stop with ‘you tak suka you keluar’ attitude.. nothing good coming from it. look at our profesional workers leaving malaysia. and now our country begging them to come back by giving them initiative.

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      • this is umno,bn,perkasa statement….”be-grateful-of-what-u-get-attitude” thats youre not moving forward..phyically n mentally~

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      • Expatriate VN on Sep 28, 2011 at 9:57 am

        Ha, ha, this moronic blind supporter, me as expatriate is to turn this kampong into global village, not let you shitty Jaguh Kampong live dibawah tempurung!

        Why don’t you migrate to Korea and set up kampong there and proclaim you are the crap kr Jaguh Kampong?

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        • MoFaz on Sep 28, 2011 at 4:39 pm

          while you don’t even understand what is ‘expatriate’ means, how can you turn kampung to global village? correct yourself first before trying to advise anybody else!

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  • This is the global scenario, not jaguh kampung – katak bawah tempurung scenario. Korean products (cars, phones, tv etc) are gaining foothold in Europe & US. The same thing happened in the 80’s for the Japanese. History is repeating itself.

    15 years ago, 6 of the world’s Top 10 largest companies were Japanese. Today, none of the world’s Top 10 companies are Japanese. Toyota is the sole Japanese company in the world’s Top 50 companies. See how the mighty has fallen.

    The Korean bashers weren’t even a sperm cell in the 80’s & with the kind of “quality” education they received, it is no wonder they can’t see this fact. For them, history is His-Story as what they’ve been spoon fed with.

    Give the Koreans another decade and it wont surprise me if they can be the next technological leader.

    I bet in 10 years time, the Korean bashers will sheepishly buy Korean products, bragging how great it is & how smart they are to have bought it.

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  • i still won’t buy from AP King.

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    • i suke kat awek tu on Sep 27, 2011 at 9:41 pm

      change naza into kia forte la…ini apa punya fesyen la..

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  • jaybond80 on Sep 28, 2011 at 9:59 am

    Lately we have seen a surge of very good high tech products offerings from Korea. When it comes to cars, Hyundai & Kia are gaining foothold in European countries, better than the Japanese. i think one of the decisive factor is attractive design which the Japanese seems underestimates. Have you ever seen remarks like nicely designed/looking Toyota or Nissan cars by European magazine publishers?

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  • TWO THUMBS UP!!! Great to see the love from Europe ;) Shared this with the audience over at project Advanced Technology and Design Korea! Happy Wednesday from Korea ^^

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    • Amy, check out this PaulTan report also. See the love/hate for Korean & Japanese cars supporters

      http://tiny.cc/kh7ax

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • TWO THUMBS UP!!! Great to see the love from Europe ;) Shared this with the audience over at project Advanced Technology and Design Korea! Happy Wednesday from Korea ^^ (@advancedtechkr)

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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