Kia builds vehicle No. 300,000 in West Point, Ga.

By Jeremiah McWilliams

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia marked its 300,000th vehicle -- a silver Sorento SX -- produced at its manufacturing facility in West Point, Ga.

Mass production of the Kia Sorento CUV began at the site on Nov. 16, 2009. The crossover is the Kia brand's best-selling vehicle in the U.S.

Since opening, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia has added two shifts and completed the hiring process for nearly 1,000 new employees, bringing the total number of jobs created at the plant to more than 3,000.

The Optima midsize sedan will be added to the production line later this year, and the plant has begun a series of expansion projects to increase its annual capacity to 360,000 vehicles in 2012.

Vehicle No. 300,000 was "another historic milestone," said Byung Mo Ahn, chief executive of Kia Motors America. "Now, with three full shifts of production and the upcoming addition of the Optima, our production goals will continue to be very aggressive."