Georgia has been a major player in the automotive business for more than 100 years.

In 2006, Governor Sonny Perdue and Kia Motors Corporation announced the Korean automaker would build its first U.S.-based assembly plant in Georgia. The $1.2 billion investment will create roughly 2,500 jobs for the state and an additional estimated 3,700 supplier jobs. The plant is scheduled to reach full production by late 2009.

Georgia is home to 306 parts manufacturers and suppliers, which employ approximately 23,600 workers. Our proximity to neighboring Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama, BMW and Daimler-Chrysler in South Carolina and the recently announced Volkswagen plant in Tennessee make Georgia’s central transportation corridor by road or rail even more vital.

On the coast, Georgia’s two deepwater ports at Brunswick and Savannah and barge docks at Columbus and Bainbridge help automakers get their product to market. The Brunswick port currently processes more than 357,000 vehicle and machinery units as import and export shipments for a number of major automobile manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz U.S.A., which broke ground in 2008 on a new Vehicle Preparation Center. The Port of Savannah is the country’s fastest growing port, fourth-largest container port and is a key conduit for major assembly equipment for Kia.

If your business is automotive and you’re looking to expand, think Georgia. For more information, contact us.