Kia Motors Corp. Monday announced its plan to construct a 1.2-billion-U.S.-dollar automotive assembly and manufacturing plant in Georgia of the United States by 2009.

The announcement was made at a ceremony attended by Kia's President and CEO Chung Eui-sun and Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue held in Seoul.

It will be Kia's first manufacturing plant in the U.S..

The manufacturing facility, to be built at West Point in the Troup County of Georgia, is expected to produce 300,000 vehicles annually at maximum capacity, according a news release of Kia.

Kia, the second largest auto-producer locally, will use 3- million-square-meter plot of land to build the plant. The plant will employ 2,500 U.S. workers after it starts operation.

Chung said at the ceremony that the decision to build the first U.S. plant is the latest example of the company's commitment to the marketplace.

"Kia has made tremendous investments in design and engineering to better meet the needs and desires of American consumers, and this new plant will produce high quality, well-styled vehicles with the safety features and affordability that customers expect from Kia," said Chung.

Kia Motors has invested more than 300 million U.S. dollars in the United States over the last four years, including a state-of- the-art research and development center in Ann Arbor of Michigan, a custom-built vehicle proving grounds in Mojave of California, and the largest automotive design studio in California.

In 2005, Kia, the affiliate of South Korean largest auto- producer Hyundai Motors Corp., sold 275,871 vehicles in the U.S.

Source: Xinhua