Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia Produces 500,000th Vehicle

West Point, Ga. Feb. 29, 2012 - This morning, Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) celebrated production of the 500,000th vehicle at the West Point, Ga. automobile manufacturing facility.

KMMG began mass production of the Kia Sorento CUV on Nov. 16, 2009, a vehicle that quickly became the brand's best-selling product in the U.S. Then, on Sept. 2, 2011, KMMG began production of the Kia Optima mid-size sedan, a vehicle that led the brand's U.S. sales in December 2011 and January.

Since opening, KMMG has added two additional shifts of production with more than 3,000 team members hired by the plant to date. In 2011, KMMG completed a $100 million expansion that pushed the plant's total capacity to 360,000 units per year.

"Building 500,000 vehicles in just over two years is quite a milestone for our first U.S. manufacturing plant to accomplish," said Byung Mo Ahn, Group President and CEO for Kia Motors America and KMMG. "The commitment from each one of our team members is a big reason we've been able to achieve 17 consecutive months of record sales. Their dedication to building world class, high quality vehicles is apparent in each vehicle we produce."

Vehicle number 500,000 was a snow white pearl Optima SX and will now be allocated to one of KMA's more than 755 dealerships nationwide.

 

Courtesy of Kia Media.

Once in a Lifetime: The Jazz Party

MCG Jazz Concert Hall

Saturday, Mar 3, 2012 6:30 PM

This unique special event features FIVE PLAY and the new class of Pittsburgh Jazz Legends! Hors d’ouevres and cocktails, a silent auction with one-of-a-kind paintings and other unique items, and a presentation of the newest Smithsonian Jazz oral histories featuring Pittsburgh’s own jazz legends, will be followed by a concert with FIVE PLAY!  Tickets for this event are $100 with proceeds supporting MCG Jazz’ programming.

 

Click here to buy your tickets.

Kia K9 Rear-Drive Flagship Sedan Unveiled, Could Come to U.S.

Having shown us teaser photos, Kia has now taken the wraps off its new Kia K9 flagship. The luxury sedan  is the first-ever rear-wheel-drive Kia sedan, and is also said to be the most luxurious Kia to date.

Kia had previously teased the new sedan as the KH, but picked the K9 name to fit in with the company’s other Korean-market offerings. The letter K stands for Korea, Kinetic, and Kratos, the Greek work for domination. The number nine shows how the car fits in the company’s lineup, above the K5 (aka. Optima sedan) and K7 (the Cadenza).

The elegant sedan seems to blend design cues from many existing luxury sedans — the curved nose and swooping headlights remind us of the BMW 6 Series, the profile line suggests the Lexus GS, and the stubby tail with twin parallelogram exhaust tips apes the Lexus LS. Nonetheless, the Kia K9 looks sophisticated and classy. Plenty of chrome trim adorns the outside, include twin portholes on each front fender, and the rear window slopes gently toward the trunklid. Out front, the so-called “Tiger Nose” chrome grille defines the car as a Kia.

Little else has so far been revealed about the K9, but as it is based mostly on the Hyundai Genesis, we can expect some of that car’s engines and technologies to carry over. Kia says its new sedan offers the company’s “best of the best” handling, technology, and design. We also wonder whether features from the Kia GT concept, first shown at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, will reach production in the K9. The show car had a turbocharged 3.3-liter V-6 with 390 hp and an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Kia K9 will go on sale in Korea within the next few months, but it’s unknown where else the new car might land. Kia has confirmed the luxury sedan won’t be sold in Europe, but says that it will announce on-sale dates outside Korea at a later time. Also, Kia says the car will be renamed when it is sold elsewhere around the world.

With Europe off the map and Kia working to improve its image in our market, we’d say chances are strong that the new Kia K9 flagship will be sold in the U.S. It remains to be seen, however, whether the car can stand out from both its mechanical sibling the Hyundai Genesis, and the array of similar luxury cars already on sale here.

 

Courtesy of Motor Trend.

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Customer Testimonial

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Review ID :	171
Name :	Satisfied Customer
Store :	Baierl Kia
Rating :	5 / 5
Department :	Service
Subject :	Commendation for Baierl Kia
Review :	Thank you to Service Manager Rich and Parts Manager Howard and Parts employee Brian who demonstrate exemplary customer service. These guys went out of their way to explain things that employees at other places do not do. I feel they know their jobs well and are not out to make a buck for the company at the expense of the customer. Kudos to Kia for hiring these guys. I am a satisfied customer who will return thanks to them.

Customer Testimonials

Name :	Great Experience
Store :	Baierl Kia
Rating :	5 / 5
Department :	Sales
Subject :	Baierl Kia Customer for Life!
Review :	Moose was wonderful-got me a great car-thanks to everyone at Baierl. I didn't know what i wanted-i just knew i was only gonna deal with Baierl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Year :	2012
Make :	Kia
Model :	Forte

 

 

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Name :	Davenport
Store :	Baierl Kia
Rating :	5 / 5
Department :	Sales
Subject :	The Moose
Review :	Moose was awesome he treated us with so much respect. Plus he a very funny guy just amazing. We just love the car. I will recommend Baierl to everyone.
Year :	2012
Make :	Kia
Model :	Sorento

Optima Check "Socially"

The new Kia Optima makes it socially acceptable to get excited about a mid-sized sedan. Stop in for a test drive to see for yourself!