Chronology
Timeline
Follow the record in sequence; every event opens to its supporting source.
MoU with Andhra Pradesh
Kia's official French release says the company signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh government in Vijayawada to build a manufacturing site in Anantapur district.
Construction planned to begin
The same release says construction in Andhra Pradesh would begin in the fourth quarter of 2017, with series production planned for the second half of 2019.
Trial production starts
Kia said construction of the 536-acre Anantapur plant was complete and trial production had started, before series production later in 2019.
Mass production begins
Kia's later company material says mass production at Anantapur began in August 2019 and annual production capacity was approximately 300,000 units.
Seltos rollout political row
The News Minute reported that Hindupur MP Gorantla Madhav wrote a protest message on the Seltos bonnet, allegedly threatened Kia officials, and that two local YSRCP leaders had been arrested for allegedly threatening Kia officials over jobs for their candidates.
Official inauguration
Kia's Spanish media release says the Anantapur plant was officially inaugurated, was already in full operation after a US$1.1 billion Kia investment, and had helped create more than 12,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Relocation report and no-shift denial
A February 2020 report summarised Reuters' anonymous-source claim that Kia was exploring a Tamil Nadu move, while also recording Kia's statement that it had no plan to shift the current AP facility; a later New Indian Express report quoted Kia saying it had no plan to shift from Anantapur.
Sonet positioned as made-in-India global product
Kia said the Sonet would be manufactured at Anantapur and described it as a made-in-India global product after the Seltos.
Brand relaunch cites AP plant milestone
Kia's brand relaunch release restates the April 2017 AP MoU, August 2019 mass production start, and 300,000-unit annual capacity.
Evidence boundary
Supported and not established
The line matters: archived records can support a finding without resolving every allegation, motive, or final outcome.
What the sources support
- The archived Kia material supports an MoU with Andhra Pradesh on 27 April 2017, trial production in January 2019, mass production in August 2019, and an official opening on 18 December 2019.
- The archived material supports 300,000 units per year as the repeated annual capacity figure.
- The archived material supports two investment scopes: about US$1.1 billion for Kia's plant, and US$2 billion when Kia and vendor partners are grouped together.
- The archived risk-reporting sources support a rollout-event political row and a relocation concern reported through Reuters, but they also record Kia's denial of any plan to shift the Anantapur facility.
What remains unresolved
- The archive does not include the full AP MoU, cabinet note, incentive order, survey numbers, or APIIC obligations.
- The jump from a 10,000-job estimate in January 2019 to more than 12,000 jobs in December 2019 is not explained by an AP-side source.
- The archive does not establish that Gorantla Madhav caused any relocation talks; the Madhav row and the Reuters-reported relocation concern are separate sourced events in the current record.
- Actual annual output, exports, utilisation, and any later capacity expansion need post-2020 first-party sources.