01:49 26-12-2025

Hyundai Wia kicks off Kia K4 hybrid engine production in Mexico

Hyundai Wia will build 1.6‑liter hybrid engines in Monterrey, Mexico for the Kia K4 sedan and hatchback, up to 200,000 units a year, with H2 market launch.

Hyundai Wia will start mass production of hybrid engines in January next year at its plant in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The program centers on 1.6‑liter gasoline units from the Gamma family and marks the company’s first step into hybrid powertrains.

All engines built there will be supplied exclusively to Kia. They are intended for the hybrid versions of the Kia K4 sedan and the K4 Hatchback, with vehicle production set to begin next year at Kia’s Mexican facility. Market launch is planned for the second half of the year, and the hybrids will be sold alongside internal‑combustion variants.

According to industry sources, Hyundai Wia is completing trial production to verify quality and fine‑tune processes. The plant is capable of producing up to 200,000 hybrid engines annually, a scale that should raise utilization and support profitability. The strategy is straightforward and practical: put hybrid engine production close to final assembly to tighten logistics and keep operations lean.

The K4 range remains central to Kia. From January to October this year, more than 161,000 K4s with conventional engines were sold in Mexico. The addition of more efficient hybrid versions is expected to strengthen the model’s position, especially in the United States and Europe, where interest in budget‑friendly hybrids is growing as subsidies for electric vehicles are reduced.