Kia Motors rolling out its first Made-for-India car for trial today!

This has got to be a piece of great news as KIA Motors has rolled out its first Made-for-India car for trial runs today at its plant at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, India. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the trials along with KIA Motors MD K Shim in the presence of South Korea Ambassador to India Shin Bongkil.  [gallery size="full" ids="7343,7342"]

Photos: Autocar India

Meanwhile, the company also showcased the pre-production Kia SP2i compact SUV test mule to the public while announcing the commencement of trial production. The SP2i SUV is based on the company's SP Concept and will sport the family's familiar design language. Under the hood, the compact SUV is set to feature a pair of 1.5-liter petrol and diesel engines, paired with a choice of manual and automatic gearboxes.[gallery size="full" ids="7352,7351"]While doing this Kia Motors has also set a record by commencing trial production in a record time of one year. KIA Motors had commenced construction of the plant last January after signing a MoU with AP Government to build a new manufacturing facility in April 2017. [gallery size="full" ids="7333,7337,7335,7334,7336"]To lay out some numbers into perspective, the plant stretches 213 hectares at Penukonda in Anantapur district, the manufacturing plant will have an investment of over INR Rs 12,900 crore. The plant will have a production capacity of up to 4 lakh vehicles. The production volume will consist of 90% domestic sales and 10% exports and also the plant will generate employment for 4000 permanent and 7000 temporary employees. https://www.youtube.com/embed/CEiP6QKwGoUWith the presence of Kia motors and its ancillaries the entire region from Anantapur towards Bengaluru will be developed into a strong economic hub, the CM said. While the project is expected to have a spin-off effect on the development of AP, especially Anantapur as an automobile hub we can also be assured that the made for India models by Kia will eventually make its way to Nepal.