Kia Mexico announced a $649 million investment to strengthen its operations in Pesquería, Nuevo León, where it will produce the Kia EV3, the brand’s first electric vehicle assembled in Mexico and the first of this model manufactured outside of Korea.

The investment, which will be carried out between 2026 and 2028, is the most important made by the automaker in the country since the start of operations of its plant in 2016 and contemplates the generation of 500 new direct jobs this year and 1,500 by 2030.

During the Mexican government ‘s morning press conference, Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard emphasized that the project strengthens the country’s manufacturing capacity at a time of uncertainty for the global automotive industry.

“This is great news because it allows us to produce an electric vehicle in Mexico with a number of very advanced and highly competitive features,” he said.

The official explained that the EV3 will begin production on August 4th and that the vehicle will start with a national content of around 27%, a percentage that will increase as the integration of local suppliers strengthens.

He also emphasized that the investment responds to one of the central objectives of the Mexico Plan , focused on increasing the national content of manufacturing production and attracting high value-added projects.

“In a time of such uncertainty regarding the automotive industry, tariffs and new rules, this decision means that this company is seeing productivity and investment opportunities in Mexico and is making a decision that means technology, jobs and economic activity,” he stated.

In addition to allocating more than $260 million to the new EV3 production line , Kia will invest in sustainable infrastructure within its manufacturing complex, including expanding its solar power park and building a second water recycling plant.

Andy Kim, president and CEO of Kia Mexico, stated that the investments are part of the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy and are aligned with the objectives of the Mexico Plan.

“During these eleven years, thanks to the firm conviction of Made in Mexico for Mexico, Kia Mexico has grown in tandem with the Mexican economy,” he said.

For her part, Marianela Calderón, Director of Administration and Employee Experience, explained that the investments are based on four pillars: talent development, renewable energy, responsible water management, and electric mobility.

He explained that the plant is currently building a two-megawatt solar park, with a planned expansion to eight megawatts by 2030 , in addition to a new treatment plant that will allow the reuse of around 70% of the treated water used in operations.

The executive also highlighted the importance of the company’s supply chain, which includes more than 85,000 people in direct and indirect jobs, as well as the recent recognition of the Pesquería plant as one of the highest quality in the automotive industry on the continent.

Mexico, platform for the new generation of electric vehicles

Horacio Chávez, managing director of Kia Motors Mexico, stated that the project represents a strategic step to position the country within the transformation towards electric mobility.

“For the first time in our history, we will produce and market a fully electric vehicle in Mexico. This commitment is realized with the Kia EV3, which will be proudly made in Mexico,” he stated.

In addition to vehicle production, the project includes the development of charging solutions for homes, public spaces, and mobile roadside assistance using vehicle-to-vehicle charging technology, with the aim of facilitating the adoption of electric vehicles in the Mexican market.

Currently, the Pesquería plant is Kia’s only facility in Mexico. Since its opening in 2016, it has received an initial investment of one billion dollars and has contributed to the creation of more than 80,000 direct and indirect jobs.

With this new investment, the automaker incorporates Mexico into the global production of the EV3, a line that until now was manufactured exclusively in Korea, reinforcing the country’s position as a platform for the manufacture of new generation vehicles.

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Hutchison Ports LCT was recognized by KIA Motors Mexico as “Supplier of the Year, Logistics Performance Hutchison Ports LCT” , a distinction that the automaker awarded after a comparative evaluation process in which seven suppliers of the logistics ecosystem participated, and which positions the port terminal (Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán) as one of the actors with the best operational performance within its supply chain in Mexico.

The award was presented in Monterrey, Nuevo León, by KIA Vice President Kwansu Kim to Hutchison Ports Commercial Director Francisco Javier Orozco Mendoza, in a ceremony that formalizes an evaluation based on key technical and operational criteria for the automotive industry: regulatory and contractual compliance, response times, service quality, incident management, KPI (performance indicator) compliance, operational capacity, flexibility in changing scenarios, and quality of communication with clients and authorities.

Beyond the formal ceremony, the distinction is the result of a structured process of measuring logistics performance , where Hutchison Ports LCT was evaluated under the same parameters as the rest of the suppliers considered, giving the recognition a competitive and comparative character within the industrial ecosystem that surrounds KIA Motors Mexico.

The relationship between the two organizations dates back to 2016, when KIA, together with its logistics partner Hyundai Glovis Mexico , began moving containers for the installation and start-up of its automotive plant in Pesquería, Nuevo León. Since then, the operation has evolved from a logistics startup to a long-term collaboration that integrates complex processes and ongoing operational coordination with the automaker’s Tier 1, 2, and 3 supplier network.

This operational evolution is one of the elements that explain the recognition. The progressive integration of processes, the standardization of logistics flows, and the building of a relationship of institutional trust allowed for the consolidation of a continuous working model between the terminal and KIA’s production structure in Mexico, aligned with objectives of efficiency, stability, and reliability.

From Hutchison Ports LCT’s perspective, the award is seen as a collective achievement. Alfredo Huesca Sánchez, the terminal’s general manager, attributed it to the coordination of all stakeholders within the operational community and close collaboration with clients, emphasizing that the recognition is not the result of an isolated effort, but rather a well-structured organizational approach.

“We are deeply honored by this recognition, which motivates us to continue perfecting our operational discipline, strengthening the precision of execution and, above all, continuously raising service levels to support the growth and logistical efficiency of our clients,” he stated.

With this recognition, Hutchison Ports LCT strengthens its position as a logistics partner for the automotive industry in Mexico and consolidates its role within the national port system as a terminal aligned with standards of performance, efficiency and continuous improvement, in an environment where logistics has become a critical component of industrial competitiveness.

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