Kia Begins Production of the Sportage Hybrid in Georgia
Kia has officially begun production of the Sportage Hybrid compact SUV at a plant owned by its affiliate Hyundai, located in Savannah, Georgia. This move will significantly reduce the tariff burden on its most popular model in the U.S. market, which until now has been imported from South Korea at a 15% tariff rate.
The South Korean automaker said that with the launch of this program, the manufacturing facility known as Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) is achieving three milestones: producing the first Kia-branded vehicle, the first hybrid model, and the third model manufactured at that facility.
The Kia Sportage Hybrid is assembled alongside the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9 electric vehicles, demonstrating the plant’s flexibility in terms of powertrains—a feature built into its original design to produce up to 10 different models.
“This is a very important event for Kia in the state of Georgia and for our customers across the United States,” said Sean Yoon, president and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America.
Tony Heo, the plant’s president and CEO, said that thanks to “the dedication of our Meta professionals and the strength of our flexible manufacturing system, we have successfully prepared to produce our first hybrid vehicle and our first Kia model.”
HMGMA is one of two plants operated by the South Korean subsidiaries in the state of Georgia, alongside Kia West Point Assembly, where the second-generation Telluride, the all-electric EV9 and EV6 models, and the popular Sportage and Sorento internal combustion SUVs are currently produced.
With the start of assembly of the Sportage Hybrid in Georgia, Kia aims to increase the number of SUVs produced and sold in the U.S. market and further accelerate the electrification of its entire lineup.
When presenting its financial results for 2025, Hyundai revealed that the cost of import tariffs on vehicles in the United States amounted to nearly $2.9 billion, while for Kia, the total was $2.3 billion.
The event was attended by approximately 200 Meta professionals, who celebrated this milestone following extensive preparations for the new powertrain.
Many team members traveled to Kia’s facilities in West Point, Georgia, and South Korea to learn best practices in the production of the Sportage Hybrid and ensure that HMGMA was equipped to deliver the highest levels of quality, efficiency, and performance.
Kia’s West Point plant currently employs more than 3,200 people, while HMGMA has nearly 2,000 professionals, a very high percentage of whom are from the state of Georgia itself.
During the ceremony, the first Kia Sportage Hybrid assembled at HMGMA made its debut in a demonstration of the plant’s advanced automation capabilities, being transported to the stage by an autonomous mobile robot (AMR).
Together, the two brands now have the capacity to produce up to 550,000 vehicles per year at their West Point and HMGMA facilities. At this time, no plans for future models have been announced.
