Overview
- Company officials and Georgia leaders marked the start of Sportage Hybrid assembly on June 2 with a ceremony at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America where the first U.S.‑built unit was driven to the stage by an autonomous mobile robot.
- The Sportage Hybrid is the first Kia model and the first hybrid assembled at HMGMA, joining the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 9 and showing the plant can handle multiple powertrains with limited retooling.
- Kia and HMGMA did not disclose per‑model volumes but said they are ramping toward large annual targets that together could raise Georgia capacity to as many as 550,000 vehicles and HMGMA toward roughly 500,000 units.
- Hundreds of HMGMA 'Meta Pros' completed cross‑facility training, including visits to West Point and South Korea, and officials emphasized the move will support local jobs and factory flexibility.
- Executives cited strong year‑over‑year hybrid sales and trade pressures on imports as reasons for local hybrid production, a shift that could shorten supply chains and lower exposure to tariffs on imported vehicles.