IzhAvto Ends Kia Assembly

Russian car maker IzhAvto has ceased assembly of Kia vehicles at its Izhevsk facility, Autostat reports. A total of 1,700 Spectra sedans and 800 Sorento SUVs have been produced since May. Both models are being sold through Kia Motors’ official Russian distribution network. The released capacity will be used to build the Lada Granta at the plant from mid-2012.

Initially, Kia assembly in Izhevsk was started in August 2005, and was halted in March 2009. IzhAvto resumed assembly of the Kia Sorento in May 2011, and the Kia Spectra two months later. During its partnership with Kia Motors, the company produced over 123 thousand Kia vehicles, most of which was Kia Spectra sedans (106 thousand units).