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Amaravati: Close on the heels of South Korean auto giant Kia Motors pumping in $1.1 billion (around Rs 13,000 crore) in setting up its fist manufacturing unit in the country at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh, its vendors too are queuing up to invest and have lined up investments worth Rs 4,790 crore in the state the near-term, AP chief minister N Cahndrababu Naidu said here on Thursday. 

"Kia's 16 associates and vendors are setting up their facilities in Andhra Pradesh... They are going to invest Rs 4,790 crore and provide employment to 6,600 people... already the land has been given and they will start the work.." Naidu said while addressing participants at the signing of an MoU between the auto giant and the AP government for collaboration on 'Future Eco Mobility".

Yong S Kim, chief strategy officer and executive director, Kia Motors India, pointed out that two vendors parks have come up in the vicinity of its 536-acre campus in Anantapur. "We are dealing with Korean and Indian vendors," he said. 

The construction of Kia's plant in Ananapur commenced in 2017 and the plant is expected to begin production in the first half of 2019. In fact, Kookyun Shim, managing director and CEO of Kia Motors India, said the Anantapur plant is ahead of schedule. 

"The structure is fully done... The next thing is the machinery that needs to be installed and a part of its has been done.. the robotics, the AI, is coming in place now...Now we are looking to start hiring for the plant and then get on to the training so that we can begin manufacturing by the beginning of next year," Kim said. 

The plant will have a total capacity of 3 lakh units per annum and Kia Motors plans to launch one model every six monthts once it start selling vehicles in India. 

Kia Motors, which is part of the Hyundai Motor Group, is the world's eighth largest automaker with sales of 2.8 million cars clocked last year. 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/kia-motors-vendors-investing-rs-4790-cr-in-ap/articleshow/66977145.cms