Kia says “maybe” to the idea of a UK car plant

Kia HQ in South Korea admits that it can’t keep up with global demand for its products, so may need to build yet another overseas factory.

When asked by Auto Express whether it’s possible that the company might follow in the footsteps of Honda, Nissan and Toyota by building a plant on British soil, Thomas Oh replied: “Maybe in the future.”

Speaking from his office in Seoul, the second in command for Kia’s worldwide operations added: “It depends on a lot of factors - whether salaries and other production costs are competitive, plus incentive packages, Government grants – that sort of thing.

“Infrastructure, the ability to mobilise people, and raw labour costs are important, too. As is support from what I call the local society.”

Oh admits that some of his potential customers still have perception issues with the brand. But he insists that “Kia compares with Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers on quality.”

He’s impressed enough with the Germans to cite Audi, BMW and Porsche as “winners,” while describing the likes of Renault and Peugeot as “the losers” – for a variety of reasons. “Failure” is not a word he’s afraid to use when addressing the problems of motor manufacturers in France.

“It’s self-explanatory. These guys are depending too much on the French and European marketplace. They’ve have failed to develop in big overseas markets, and rising markets. We’re ahead of them. In quantity and quality.”