Kia’s first fully European offering has left productions lines in Slovakia.

It’s new c-segment Cee’d left the South Korean manufacturer’s Zilina plant and was greeted by Euisun Chung, president and CEO of Kia.

Completed at a cost of €3 billion, the new 300-robot plant aims to produce 100 cars per employee per year within the next few years. A full shift pattern and 3,000 employees will see the plant producing a capacity of 300,000 vehicles per year by 2009.

At present, 1,300 staff will produce 5,000 Cee’ds by the end of 2006, rising to 150,000 in 2007. Sportage production will start in summer 2007 and the Cee’d estate model is due to join in the autumn.

The new five-door Cee’d will go on sale in the UK on February 1. Every model will come with a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty as standard.