KIA plans to triple electric vehicle production in Europe

KIA is set to consolidate its presence in the European electric vehicle market with an ambitious production plan at its Slovak plant in Žilina. On August 20 at these facilities, which have two decades of history producing vehicles from the South Korean manufacturer for the European market, production of the EV4 began, the first model with an electric propulsion system to roll off this plant’s assembly line.

Until now, KIA has been importing electric models for the European market from South Korea, but going forward the company is committing to a new strategy.

In 2026 KIA plans to launch the EV2 on the market, a compact crossover that will become its most affordable electric model to date. This vehicle will be key to the brand’s expansion plans, with projected production of around 100,000 units per year at the Žilina plant in Slovakia by 2027, added to the roughly 80,000 units per year of the EV4 produced at this same plant. KIA thus plans to produce a total of 180,000 electric vehicles annually in Slovakia from 2027.

A key plant in KIA’s European strategy

The Žilina plant currently has a production capacity of 320,000 vehicles per year, with the possibility of expanding to 350,000 if demand requires it. To prepare the plant for production of the EV4 and EV2, KIA has invested 108 million euros, thereby demonstrating its commitment to electrification in Europe. This effort responds to the growing demand for electric vehicles on the continent, where KIA’s sales in this segment grew 56 percent in August, reaching 71,179 units, despite a 3 percent drop in its total sales.

The success of the compact electric SUV EV3, with more than 45,000 units sold in the first eight months of the year, has been decisive in shaping the company’s current strategy in Europe. This model has managed to become KIA’s second best-selling model in the European market, behind only the Sportage, and ranks seventh among the most popular electric vehicles on the continent.

Since the EV4 shares much of its technology with the EV3 and competes in one of the segments with the highest demand in Europe, the South Korean manufacturer is confident that this new model will replicate and even surpass the success of its predecessor.