Kia Slovakia Plant Upgraded to Build Gasoline Engines

Kia is ramping up its powertrain production capabilities in Europe with the upgrade of its Slovakian plant.

The improvements to its European vehicle and engine production plant in Žilina are the result of an $83 million investment the automaker made this year, preparing the plant to produce its new Smartstream internal-combustion and hybrid powertrains.

Kia says it will now build small-capacity, high-efficiency, hybrid-compatible gasoline engines on three engine production lines, with the fourth dedicated to the brand’s latest Smartstream 1.6L diesel. It says this is in response to the European market’s trend toward hybridization and electrification.

For the near term, however, the investment also enables the production of Kia’s Smartstream powertrains based on new 4-cyl. 1.5L Kappa and 1.6L Gamma T-GDi (turbocharged gasoline direct injection) engines.

Both engines are designed to integrate with Kia’s EcoDynamics+ 48V mild-hybrid system. In addition, the Gamma 1.6L T-GDi is designed to integrate with hybrid powertrain technologies as the automaker hedges its bets on future powertrain options.

Emilio Herrera, chief operating officer at Kia Motors Europe, says: “Continued investment in our Slovakia plant will help us to meet the changing demands of European drivers. We have already seen a marked increase in demand for electrified petrol vehicles. This investment in advanced powertrain production unlocks our ability to bring electrification to a wider customer base.”