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Kia confirms $1B factory in Mexico to be completed in 2016

Kia is the latest in a string of automakers to announce plans to build new or expanded factories in Mexico. The Korean company has signed a $1 billion deal to establish a plant in Monterrey in the state of Nuevo León, with construction starting in late September. If everything proceeds on schedule, the facility should be complete in the first half of 2016 and be able to produce 300,000 vehicles a year.
The $1-billion investment will create a "new, highly automated manufacturing plant," according to Kia's announcement, a facility covering 1,235 acres of land. Confirming earlier rumors, Kia will produce compact models there, but the company won't reveal specific model names, just yet. When complete, the factory in Mexico will boost the automaker's annual capacity to 3.37 million vehicles a year with 1.69 million of those in Korea and 1.68 million abroad. It will also join Kia's plant in Georgia (where the Optima and Sorento are made) as the business' other North American location.
Kia hasn't kept plans for the Mexican factory a very close secret and openly admitted it was "being considered as a possible location" to Autoblog. The country was chosen partially because of its free-trade agreements (read: NAFTA), that make it less costly to move models elsewhere, not to mention its easy access to the North, Central and South American markets. The new plant should also alleviate some of the tight supply issues Kia has had in the US.

NHTSA investigating 8 million airbags not made by Takata

In a shocking turn of events, we have a line of airbags under investigation that weren't made by Takata. Rather, Automotive News reports that 8,000,000 airbags made by ARC Automotive Inc. are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to Automotive News, NHTSA is looking into ARC's airbags after two injuries and a recent death were attributed to the company's products. The two injuries occurred first and prompted the initial inquiry of 490,000 airbags, which then expanded after an airbag from a different line caused the death of a Canadian driver. The airbags in question are found in GM, FCA, Hyundai and Kia products, and all automakers are cooperating with the investigation, Automotive News reports. It is also important to note that these airbags have not been recalled, as NHTSA is trying to determine the issue and whether a recall is necessary. NHTSA also told the news outlet that the ARC inflators use a different design than those from Takata, instead using some pressurized gas and an ammonium nitrate charge. While the design may be different, the Takata inflators also used ammonium nitrate propellant, which other manufacturers have avoided. We will be watching this situation closely to see what develops. Here's hoping – for our collective safety and sanity – that we won't have to go through another airbag crisis like with the Takata recall. Related Video: News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Shutterstock Government/Legal Hyundai Kia Safety FCA airbag fiat chrysler automobiles

Kia reveals facelifted 2017 Cadenza

Kia has revealed a facelifted version of its Cadenza sedan. Little in the way of technical details were released to accompany these two images of the model known in its home market as the K7. However the updated model "maintains the progressive, contemporary image of the current model" with "sharper, more defined lines and wider, lower stance" compared to the existing version. Previewed in a trio of teaser renderings just weeks ago, the new Cadenza adopts a more sharply-creased appearance. Kia says that the "long [hood], gently rising shoulder line and swept-back roofline give the car a sleek, elongated silhouette." Those lines are complemented by a a window line that rises towards the rear into a sharp kick upwards in the C-pillar, with the brand's signature tiger-nose grille flanked by wraparound LED headlamps, more muscular fenders, squared-off bumpers, wide LED taillamps, and dual exhaust tips. The new Kia Cadenza is set to reach showrooms around the world in the new year ahead. The current model shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Azera, and was introduced in Korea in 2010 before arriving in North America in 2013. The version we currently get in the United States is powered by a 3.3-liter V6 producing 293 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Purposeful design for all-new Kia Cadenza - Sharper, more defined styling for Kia's full-size sedan - Distinctive, European-inspired looks with a sleek, elongated silhouette - Bold new model maintains the progressive image of existing Cadenza, promising greater refinement and luxury - On sale in overseas markets in 2016 (SEOUL) November 24, 2015 – Kia Motors has today revealed the updated exterior styling of the Korean domestic market all-new Kia Cadenza (known as 'K7' in Korea) in the first official photos of the new model. The all-new Cadenza boasts a purposeful new design and will feature high levels of interior quality and contemporary luxury when it goes on sale in overseas markets in 2016. The next-generation Cadenza maintains the progressive, contemporary image of the current model, and the sharper, more defined lines and wider, lower stance give the new model a modern and thoroughly distinctive new look – with key design elements ensuring the new Cadenza remains recognizable as a Kia.