Kia has invested € 70 million in its factory in Slovakia to scale up production of new mild hybrid engines. With this, the Koreans say they are responding to the increased demand for electrified powertrains. The 1.5 and 1.6 T-GDI will be available in more models in the future.
Kia produces engines and powertrains in Žilina, Slovakia. The € 70 million investment in this plant is intended to further increase production of the recently introduced 1.5 and 1.6 T-GDI. Three production lines are reserved for these engines, while Kia is assembling the 1.6-liter ‘Smartstream’ diesel engine on the fourth production line. According to Kia, a quarter of the cars sold in Europe currently have an electrified powertrain. The brand does not state exactly how many engines Kia will produce annually in Slovakia.
The new engines are therefore already in certain models of Hyundai and Kia. The mild-hybrid 1.5 T-GDI, also known as ‘Kappa’, replaces the current 140 hp 1.4 T-GDI. The new block delivers 160 hp and 253 Nm, 20 hp and 13 Nm more than before. This 1.5 can already be found in the facelifted Hyundai i30 and Kia Ceed, in addition, the block will be in the entry-level version of the Hyundai Tucson. The 1.6 T-GDI is a further development of the current 177 hp power source. The power increases by 3 hp to 180 hp, while the torque of 265 Nm remains the same. However, this engine is often part of hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, for example in the new Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sorento. Then there is of course more power available: the plug-in hybrid delivers a system power of 265 hp due to the support of the electric motor. Slowly but surely, Kia and Hyundai will also roll out the new engines across the rest of the range.