Kia Corporation has opened the Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant, which is Hyundai Motor Group’s first dedicated EV manufacturing facility globally.

Located at Kia Autoland Gwangmyeong, the new facility has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units and started production of the Kia EV3 in the first half of this year, to be followed by the EV4 in the first half of 2025.

In his welcome address, Jun Young Choi, Executive Vice-President and Head of Domestic Production Division, Kia said, “The completion of the Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant solidifies Kia’s first step as an EV leader following the company’s brand relaunch in 2021. With the goal of providing sustainable mobility solutions, we will lead innovation in the EV market and fulfil our responsibilities in helping to deliver a sustainable future.” 

Seung Won Park, Mayor of Gwangmyeong City added, “The completion of the Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant will help Gwangmyeong City to establish itself at the centre of the EV industry in Korea. Through this we will strive to promote sustainable development of the local economy and create more jobs."

The Gwangmyeong EVO Plant is a dedicated EV facility, with an investment total of KRW 401.6 billion (USD 304.2 million) over approximately 60,000 square meters and will serve as an outpost for production of Kia’s popular EV models.

The Korean automaker states it spent approximately one year transforming Gwangmyeong Plant 2, which was completed in 1987 to produce small internal combustion engine vehicles such as the Kia Pride, Avella and Stonic. The Kia Gwangmyeong EVO Plant is also meaningful in that it is the Group’s first dedicated EV plant and a facility that has been completely rebuilt on an existing plant site to become a hub for next-generation vehicle production.

The plant has been constructed with a full-scale conversion to electrification in mind, focusing on ‘eco-friendly’ and ‘worker-friendly’ processes.

The body shop is now a high-tech logistics factory thanks to the introduction of automated guided (AGV) forklifts, and the green credentials of the paint shop have been increased by applying the water-based 3C1B method instead of the previous oil-based 3C2B method. New equipment has also been introduced to improve wellbeing and reduce the workload of plant employees, including machinery which can automatically install high-voltage batteries, wheels and tires on the vehicles.

Following the completion ceremony of the Gwangmyeong EVO Plant, Kia will ramp up EV production. Mass production of the EV3, a compact all-electric SUV, began in the first half of this year. The EV3 is Kia's third dedicated EV model after the Kia EV6, the all-electric crossover SUV launched in 2021, and the Kia EV9 all-electric flagship SUV launched in 2023.

In the first half of 2025, Kia plans to introduce the EV4, the brand’s mid-sized electric sedan.

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Swiss technology major ABB has announced that it is set to further invest around USD 75 million in India for 2026. The capital expenditure is directed at expanding the company’s manufacturing footprint and research and development (R&D) capabilities across five locations: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nashik and Vadodara.

This move follows a USD 35 million investment in 2025 and forms part of ABB’s ‘local-for-local’ strategy. Currently, 85 percent of the products ABB sells in India are manufactured within the country. The expansion is expected to create 300 skilled jobs in engineering, research, and operations.

The investment is distributed across several key hubs to support electrification, motion, and automation:

• Nelamangala, Bengaluru (USD 14 million): Expansion of Campus 1 and 2 to scale converter manufacturing for high-speed rail and metro segments. It includes a tenfold increase in production for uninterruptable power supply (UPS) solutions.
• Peenya, Bengaluru (USD 21 million): Funding to increase capacity for low-voltage drives and specialised motors, including flameproof and smoke-venting variants. The site will add an innovation lab and remote monitoring facilities.
• Nashik (USD 22 million): Expansion of the circuit breaker factory and the Vacuum Interrupter (VI) facility. This site will drive the localisation of 33kV Primary Gas Insulated Switchgear and SF6-free technologies by 2028.
• Hyderabad (USD 12 million): Completion of phase one of a new R&D and engineering hub, including a high-power testing laboratory.
• Vadodara (USD 6 million): Scaling of the synchronous generator and induction motor factories to serve the metals, oil and gas and wind sectors.

ABB’s revenue in India reached more than USD 1.5 billion in 2025, representing roughly 4 percent of the Group’s global total. The company identified grid modernisation, data centre development and renewable energy transition as the primary drivers for the increased capacity.

Morten Wierod, Chief Executive Officer, ABB, said, “This investment in India is an important part of our strategy to support infrastructure build-out and growth in one of our fastest growing markets. We are seeing strong demand driven by the country’s energy transition, grid modernization, data center development, and the rapid expansion of the metro and high-speed rail segments. Our expanded facilities will ensure we meet this demand while enhancing our capabilities to serve other markets in the region.”

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American technology company Aptiv has announced that its Board of Directors has approved the spin-off of its Electrical Distribution Systems business into a new publicly traded entity – Versigent.

Versigent provides signal, power and data distribution systems for the automotive and commercial vehicle sectors. It operates engineering centres across four continents and manufacturing facilities in more than 30 countries, focusing on low-voltage and high-voltage electrical architectures.

The separation will be executed through a distribution of Versigent ordinary shares to Aptiv shareholders. Stockholders will receive one ordinary share of Versigent for every three ordinary shares of Aptiv held as of the record date.

Aptiv shareholders are not required to take action, pay consideration, or exchange existing shares to receive the Versigent stock.

Following the separation, Aptiv will continue its operations as an industrial technology company focused on vehicle automation, electrification and digitalisation. Versigent will maintain its legacy in designing and manufacturing advanced vehicle architectures for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

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Honeywell has announced that its AI-powered Battery Manufacturing Excellence Platform (Battery MXP) is being integrated into the Alabama Mobility and Power (AMP) Center’s research lab at the University of Alabama. The platform is designed to automate battery production, improve cell yields and accelerate the startup of manufacturing facilities.

The AMP Center serves as a research hub for mobility and power technologies, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure and energy storage systems. The Honeywell platform will be used as the automation standard to train engineers and battery professionals in scaling production for industrial requirements.

Honeywell is also collaborating with FOM Technologies at the AMP Center to focus on the electrode production process. This phase of manufacturing is identified as a significant challenge in battery assembly; the partnership aims to use Battery MXP to automate this stage and improve the safety of cells for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Key objectives of the integration include – workforce development, operational excellence and industry access.

The lab is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2026. The deployment is intended to support the automotive industry while addressing energy requirements for data centres, grid stability, and regional electrification goals.

Mike Oatridge, Executive Director of the Alabama Mobility and Power Center, said, “The AMP Center was created to connect industry, academia, and state initiatives around the future of mobility and power. The deployment of Battery MXP supports Alabama’s automotive industry while advancing solutions for data center growth, grid stability, and the state’s long-term electrification and economic development goals.”

Russ Ford, President, Honeywell Process Automation Solutions, stated, “The rapid evolution of battery technology calls for a skilled workforce and advanced production capabilities at large scale, including comprehensive automation platforms powered by AI. AMP’s use of Battery MXP is poised to be a catalyst to empower the next generation of engineers in this important industry as it continues to grow.”

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JSW Motors, the new energy vehicle (NEV) arm of the JSW Group, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tata Indian Institute of Skills (Tata IIS). The partnership establishes a technical talent pipeline for JSW Motors’ greenfield manufacturing plant currently under construction in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra.

The collaboration focuses on a co-developed curriculum covering EV systems, automation, welding, CNC operations, battery systems and manufacturing. JSW Motors maintains rights over curriculum validation and hiring to align with plant ramp-up schedules.

Tata IIS was selected based on its training infrastructure and experience in OEM engagement. The programme utilises application-based training designed for the requirements of electric vehicle production.

The initiative is part of a broader roadmap to create an EV-ready ecosystem including suppliers, vendors and dealer networks. JSW Motors eventually intends to establish an in-house training academy focused on mobility technologies and manufacturing.

Rupam Singh, Chief Human Resources Officer, JSW Motors, said, “At JSW Motors, skilling is not an HR function, it is a business imperative. As we build our manufacturing operations, we need people who are ready from Day One. The Tata IIS partnership gives us structured capability, relevant curriculum, and the execution rigour aligned to our timelines. This is a deliberate bridge as we work towards building our own world-class training academy.”

Venguswamy Ramaswamy, CEO Designate, Tata Indian Institute of Skills, said, “At Tata IIS, our mission is to solve the nation’s skill challenges by creating a next generation workforce that is not just job-ready, but future-ready. This partnership with JSW Motors is a significant step toward that goal. By designing bespoke programs in Advanced Manufacturing, we are equipping India's youth with the high-precision skills required to drive the next generation of automotive excellence and ensuring a robust, consistent talent pipeline for our industry partners.”

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