Since we already know what the 2014 Kia Forte will look like courtesy of the Kia K3 and Cerato, the big news at the car's official debut at the LA Auto Show could end up being where the car is built. Reuters is reporting that Kia is considering building the all-new Forte in the US, and while it didn't say which plant, we'd venture to guess the redesigned compact will be built alongside its sister car, the Hyundai Elantra, in Montgomery, Alabama.
This report is even more credible following an article in Bloomberg that indicates that labor disputes and union strikes in South Korea affected Kia's third-quarter profits and stock prices. The strike lasted from July through September, and it ended up costing Kia output of about 63,000 vehicles and resulted in a decrease in exports by 9.2 percent. Currently, 62 percent of Kia's production takes place in South Korea, and moving to non-union plants (such as those in the US) could help diversify output and avoid such impacting consequences in the future.
If true, this could make the Forte the third Kia model made in the USA following the Sorento and Optima that are both built right up I-85 from the Elantra in West Point, Georgia.
This report is even more credible following an article in Bloomberg that indicates that labor disputes and union strikes in South Korea affected Kia's third-quarter profits and stock prices. The strike lasted from July through September, and it ended up costing Kia output of about 63,000 vehicles and resulted in a decrease in exports by 9.2 percent. Currently, 62 percent of Kia's production takes place in South Korea, and moving to non-union plants (such as those in the US) could help diversify output and avoid such impacting consequences in the future.
If true, this could make the Forte the third Kia model made in the USA following the Sorento and Optima that are both built right up I-85 from the Elantra in West Point, Georgia.
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