About Kia:
In 2006, Kia made one of the biggest single foreign investments in the history of Georgia by establishing a state-of-the-art production facility in West Point. Since then, along with suppliers, Kia have helped create more than 14,000 jobs and produced more than 4.6 million vehicles.
With an annual capacity of more than 350,000 vehicles, Kia Georgia is home of the Telluride SUV, Sorento SUV, Sportage SUV and the all-electric EV9 and EV6 SUVs. This advanced manufacturing facility represents a $3.2 billion investment on a 2,200-acre site, operating 24 hours a day.
Some news items:
April 24th, 2026 -Vehicle Protection Structures (VPS), in partnership with Kia Georgia, today announced the completion of a large-scale hail protection and solar canopy system at Kia’s West Point manufacturing facility with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony. Spanning 3.2 million square feet and generating 10 megawatts of on-site solar power, the installation is among the largest projects of its kind in the Southeast and represents a significant investment in operational resilience and renewable energy.
Nov. 20, 2024 – Saturday was a historic day for Kia Georgia as the plant commemorated 15 years of production since becoming Kia’s first North American manufacturing facility.
Dec. 17, 2021 – Kia Georgia, Inc. announced the retirement of its President & Chief Executive Officer, Jangsoo (Jason) Shin, effective December 31, 2021. Shin has led the Georgia facility since 2017, overseeing the inaugural launches of the brand’s Telluride and K5 models, as well as the latest generation of its first model, the Sorento.
At the same time Kia Georgia also announced that Chief Operating Officer, Stuart Countess, will be President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2022. Countess joined the company in 2008, as the senior manager of assembly and has witnessed the operation’s development from ground-breaking to a world class automotive manufacturing complex. He has held positions in manufacturing and quality, as well as human resources & administration, serving as Chief Administrative Officer prior to his current position.
Countess holds BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Alabama and MBA from LaGrange College.