Kia to develop third vehicle in Slovakia

Kia Motors is to work on a third product in Slovakia as part of a wider strategy to expand its presence within Europe.

Newly appointed chief operating officer of Kia Motors Europe Paul Philpott made the comments following a reorganisation of the company''s European office.

Mr Philpott will be responsible for all of Kia''s operations within Europe including sales, aftersales and marketing.

He will also be in charge of managing relations with the company''s manufacturing operations in Zilina, Slovakia where Kia''s cee''d and Sportage models are currently built.

Mr Philpott said: "We will be entering new segments, revitalising existing models and bringing a third product to our Slovakia plant. This gives us an unrivalled opportunity to build our reputation as a leading mainstream brand in the minds of European dealers and consumers."

The new operating officer will oversee European operations from Kia''s head office in Frankfurt, where he will be based from August 2009.