Car Manufacturing Plants in Georgia: A Complete Guide

Published October 29, 2026

By Lyle Industries Editorial Team

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Georgia is home to two major vehicle assembly plants and dozens of component suppliers that form one of North America's most competitive automotive manufacturing regions. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia produce over 600,000 vehicles annually and support more than 170,000 automotive-related jobs across the state. The car manufacturing plants in Georgia include Kia's West Point facility, which has operated since 2010, and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Bryan County, which began electric vehicle production in 2024.

Georgia's car manufacturing plants benefit from deep-water port access at Savannah, established workforce training through the Quick Start program, and highway connections to regional suppliers. The state has received more than $26 billion in automotive investment, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Specialized suppliers like Dalton-based Lyle Industries provide carpet and interior trim systems to the car manufacturing plants in Georgia, creating a vertically integrated supply chain that few other states can match.

Quick answer: Georgia operates two major vehicle assembly plants — Kia Georgia in West Point and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Bryan County — plus dozens of Tier 1 suppliers producing seats, powertrains, carpet systems, and electrical components.

What Car Manufacturing Plants in Georgia Operate Today?

Two primary vehicle assembly plants operate in Georgia as of 2024, supported by a dense network of component suppliers. These car manufacturing plants in Georgia anchor a broader ecosystem of Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers.

Kia Georgia — West Point

Kia Georgia's West Point facility is the only Kia assembly plant in the United States. Located in Troup County, it opened in 2010 following a $1 billion investment. The plant produces the Kia Telluride SUV and Kia Sportage. Annual capacity reaches approximately 340,000 vehicles. About 3,000 direct workers staff the plant. Thousands more jobs exist across the supplier base.

Kia Georgia holds ISO 14001 environmental certification. The facility invested in on-site solar generation. The Kia Telluride won multiple North American Car of the Year awards and is built nowhere else in the world.

Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) — Bryan County

HMGMA represents the largest single economic development project in Georgia history. Located near Savannah in Bryan County, the $7.59 billion facility began commercial production in 2024. It targets 300,000 electric vehicles per year at full capacity.

The plant produces the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Hyundai IONIQ 6. An adjacent battery module plant, called Meta-Z, is a joint venture between Hyundai and SK On. This plant supplies battery packs directly to the assembly line.

Car manufacturing plants in Georgia like HMGMA use AI-assisted robotic assembly stations. The facility produces no combustion vehicles and was designed from the ground up for EV production.

Key Facts: Georgia's Major Assembly Plants

Plant Location OEM Primary Models Annual Capacity
Kia Georgia West Point Kia Motors Telluride, Sportage ~340,000 units
HMGMA Bryan County Hyundai Motor Group IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6 ~300,000 units (target)

Beyond these two assembly facilities, Porsche Cars North America maintains its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta. Blue Bird Corporation in Fort Valley produces school buses and specialty commercial vehicles. These operations add to Georgia's automotive manufacturing footprint.

Why Do Car Manufacturing Plants Choose Georgia?

Car manufacturing plants in Georgia benefit from four key competitive advantages: port access, workforce training, highway connections, and state incentives.

Port of Savannah is the third-busiest container port in the United States. The Georgia Ports Authority reports that this port handled 667,000 vehicle units in fiscal year 2023. Finished vehicles and auto parts move through Colonel's Island Terminal. This port access cuts shipping times for parts from South Korea, Japan, and Germany.

Quick Start workforce training is administered by the Technical College System of Georgia. The program has trained over 1.2 million workers since 1967. When Kia Georgia opened, the facility used Quick Start to pre-train production staff. This reduced ramp-up time by several months. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia continue to use Quick Start for workforce preparation.

Interstate highway access positions Georgia plants near I-85, I-75, and I-20. These highways connect plants to suppliers in Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina within four hours. This proximity reduces logistics costs and lead times.

State incentives include the Georgia Job Tax Credit. This award reaches $4,000 per job created in designated counties. Bryan County, where HMGMA operates, qualifies for the highest tier. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia also benefit from sales tax exemptions on equipment and machinery.

The result is a vertically integrated automotive ecosystem. OEM assembly plants anchor large geographic clusters of Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 suppliers. Those suppliers produce seats, carpet systems, wire harnesses, and stamped metal components. They locate within 60–90 minutes of the assembly plant to support just-in-time delivery.

How Do Tier 1 and Tier 2 Suppliers Support Car Manufacturing Plants in Georgia?

Car manufacturing plants in Georgia depend on a tiered supply chain that produces thousands of individual components. These components are then assembled into finished vehicles.

Tier 1 suppliers deliver complete systems directly to OEM assembly lines. Magna International operates in Georgia, producing door modules. Lear Corporation makes seating systems. Hanon Systems provides thermal management components. These car manufacturing plants in Georgia rely on these suppliers for major subsystems.

Tier 2 suppliers provide raw materials and sub-components to Tier 1 plants. Automotive textile manufacturers sit at this level. They produce molded carpet flooring, interior trim systems, and floor mats. Tier 1 interior suppliers then integrate these products into door panels and cargo areas.

Lyle Industries, headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, has supplied automotive textile carpet for over 40 years. The company operates three manufacturing plants and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification. This certification satisfies the quality management requirements that OEM audit programs demand. Lyle Industries operates with 34.5 million square yards of tufting capacity per year. This capacity supports production volumes consistent with car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

Dalton's position as the "Carpet Capital of the World" matters for suppliers. The region's yarn spinning, tufting, and finishing infrastructure was built over decades. It serves residential flooring first. This same infrastructure translates directly into automotive textile production for car manufacturing plants in Georgia. Lyle Industries applies this manufacturing depth to tufting configurations including 1/10 Gauge and 5/64 Gauge systems. The company uses precision CNC cutting via Lectra technology. Finishes range from latex backing to thermal bonding and moisture barriers.

These Tier 2 suppliers reduce supply chain complexity for car manufacturing plants in Georgia by consolidating multiple functions in one region.

How Are Car Manufacturing Plants in Georgia Shifting to EVs?

Car manufacturing plants in Georgia lead the U.S. electric vehicle transition. The state received more committed EV investment than any other single state as of 2023, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

HMGMA's Bryan County plant was designed from the ground up for EV production. The facility uses AI-assisted robotic assembly stations. It produces no combustion vehicles. Battery assembly occurs at the adjacent Meta-Z plant under a Hyundai-SK On joint venture. This shortens the battery supply chain to meters rather than miles. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia like HMGMA avoid supply chain delays by making batteries on-site.

Kia Georgia has announced plans to retool the West Point facility to produce EV models. The plant will build on the existing Telluride and Sportage lines. Kia's parent, Hyundai Motor Group, committed to producing 1.2 million EVs annually in the United States by 2030. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia are central to that target.

The EV shift affects suppliers significantly. Electric vehicles use roughly 30% fewer overall components than internal combustion vehicles, according to a 2022 analysis by the Center for Automotive Research. Interior components remain essential regardless of powertrain type. Carpet systems, trim panels, and acoustic flooring sustain demand.

Acoustic performance actually increases in priority for EVs. The absence of engine noise makes road and floor noise more noticeable to occupants. This raises technical specifications for molded flooring systems. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia need suppliers who can meet these tighter acoustic tolerances. This dynamic strengthens Georgia-based automotive textile manufacturers who deliver acoustic and dimensional precision.

Where Are the Key Automotive Manufacturing Regions Within Georgia?

Georgia's automotive activity concentrates in three distinct geographic corridors, each supporting different aspects of car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

West Georgia / I-85 Corridor Troup County in West Point anchors this corridor. Kia Georgia operates here. Over 40 supplier facilities have located within a 50-mile radius since 2010. The corridor extends into LaGrange and Columbus. Commercial vehicle and component manufacturers operate throughout this region. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia in this corridor benefit from established supplier networks and workforce availability.

Coastal Georgia / Savannah Region Bryan County and Chatham County form the coastal cluster. HMGMA's assembly plant sits in Bryan County. The Port of Savannah is located in Chatham County. This makes the coastal region the fastest-growing automotive zone in the state. The Georgia Ports Authority expanded Colonel's Island Terminal to handle HMGMA's vehicle export volumes. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia in this region gain direct access to global shipping.

Northwest Georgia / Carpet Country Whitfield County in Dalton hosts the state's deep base of textile and flooring manufacturers. These suppliers support automotive interiors for car manufacturing plants in Georgia. Lyle Industries operates from Dalton in this corridor. The company applies 40+ years of tufting and finishing expertise to automotive carpet systems. Lyle serves OEM and aftermarket customers across North America. This specialty region supplies car manufacturing plants in Georgia with precision interior components.

Fort Valley in Peach County adds a fourth pocket of activity. Blue Bird Corporation has manufactured school buses and specialty commercial vehicles there since 1927. It ranks as one of Georgia's oldest continuous automotive manufacturing operations. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia benefit from this depth of regional automotive expertise.

These corridors function as clusters. Workforce, logistics infrastructure, and supplier relationships build on each other within each corridor. This reduces friction for new manufacturers entering car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

What Should OEM Suppliers Know About Georgia's Auto Manufacturing Ecosystem?

Suppliers entering Georgia's automotive market face a procurement environment shaped by stringent OEM quality requirements. Just-in-time delivery schedules and long-term sourcing contracts define the landscape for car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

Quality certification is a baseline requirement. ISO 9001:2015 certification is the minimum threshold for most Tier 1 and OEM procurement programs. IATF 16949, the automotive-specific extension of ISO 9001, is required for direct OEM suppliers. Kia Georgia and HMGMA enforce these standards. Lyle Industries maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification. This supports the audit trail requirements that car manufacturing plants in Georgia customers impose.

Traceability matters as much as quality certification. OEM plants conduct regular supplier audits. They require material-level traceability from raw fiber to finished carpet part. Lyle Industries' production systems maintain full material and production traceability. This satisfies requirements from car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

Dimensional accuracy in cut components is non-negotiable. Molded carpet and interior trim parts fit within assemblies with tolerances measured in millimeters. Lyle Industries uses Lectra CNC cutting systems and press-based cutting. This achieves repeatable dimensional accuracy across complex geometries. The company meets specifications that OEM interior system integrators require for car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

Acoustic performance has become critical for EV suppliers. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia that produce electric vehicles demand higher acoustic specifications than combustion plants. Suppliers must test sound transmission loss and noise reduction coefficients. Lyle Industries' acoustic flooring systems meet these specifications.

Suppliers should account for Georgia's supplier development resources. The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP), affiliated with Georgia Tech, provides lean manufacturing consulting. They offer supplier readiness assessments. These help manufacturers meet OEM qualification standards before entering sourcing programs for car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

For automotive textile and carpet manufacturers, proximity to northwest Georgia's fiber and yarn supply base matters. Combined with access to the state's two major OEM assembly plants, this creates a vertically efficient sourcing structure. Benefits include lower costs and shorter lead times for car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many car manufacturing plants are in Georgia?

Georgia has two major vehicle assembly plants. Kia Georgia in West Point opened in 2010 and produces the Kia Telluride and Sportage. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Bryan County began EV production in 2024. Beyond assembly, Georgia hosts more than 170,000 automotive-related jobs. These jobs span dozens of Tier 1 and Tier 2 component manufacturing facilities. The Georgia Department of Economic Development reports these figures. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia represent over $26 billion in total investment.

What cars are made in Georgia?

The Kia Telluride SUV and Kia Sportage are assembled at Kia Georgia's West Point facility. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Hyundai IONIQ 6 electric vehicles are produced at HMGMA's Bryan County plant. Blue Bird Corporation in Fort Valley manufactures school buses and specialty commercial vehicles. Georgia does not currently host a passenger car plant for Ford, General Motors, or Stellantis. However, those OEMs source components from Georgia-based suppliers to car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

Is Hyundai building a plant in Georgia?

Yes. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) operates in Bryan County near Savannah. The facility represents a $7.59 billion investment. This is the largest single economic development project in Georgia history. HMGMA targets annual production of 300,000 electric vehicles. Commercial production of the IONIQ 5 began in 2024. An adjacent battery module plant, a joint venture between Hyundai and SK On called Meta-Z, supplies battery packs. The plant is part of Georgia's expanding car manufacturing plants in Georgia network.

Where is the Kia plant in Georgia?

Kia Georgia's assembly plant is located in West Point, Troup County, in western Georgia near the Alabama border. It is the only Kia vehicle manufacturing plant in the United States. The facility opened in 2010 after an initial investment exceeding $1 billion. It employs approximately 3,000 direct workers. Annual production capacity reaches roughly 340,000 vehicles. The Kia Telluride is exclusively built at this car manufacturing plants in Georgia location.

What automotive suppliers are located in Georgia?

Georgia's automotive supplier base includes Tier 1 companies such as Magna International, Lear Corporation, and Hanon Systems. These companies produce seating systems, door modules, and thermal management parts for car manufacturing plants in Georgia. At the Tier 2 level, Lyle Industries in Dalton supplies automotive textile carpet and molded flooring systems. Lyle serves OEM and aftermarket customers. Dalton's concentration of tufting and finishing manufacturers makes northwest Georgia a center for automotive interior textile production. Lyle Industries operates three plants and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification to serve car manufacturing plants in Georgia.

Why is Georgia a top state for automotive manufacturing?

Georgia's automotive manufacturing strength comes from four factors. The Port of Savannah is the third-busiest container port in the U.S. It handles vehicle imports and exports efficiently. The Quick Start workforce training program has prepared over 1.2 million workers since 1967. Interstate highway access via I-85, I-75, and I-20 connects plants to regional suppliers. Competitive state incentives include the Georgia Job Tax Credit. These factors attract investment in car manufacturing plants in Georgia. Over $26 billion in automotive investment has been committed. The Georgia Department of Economic Development tracks these figures.

Conclusion

Georgia's car manufacturing plants now span the full spectrum of automotive production. Kia's established SUV assembly in West Point operates at scale. Hyundai's purpose-built EV facility near Savannah represents the future of automotive manufacturing. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia benefit from a deep supplier base reaching into Dalton's textile manufacturing corridor.

The state's infrastructure, port access, and trained workforce make it one of North America's most competitive automotive manufacturing regions. For OEM customers, aftermarket distributors, and accessory manufacturers who need an automotive textile carpet supplier embedded in this ecosystem, Lyle Industries has operated from Dalton, Georgia since 1981. Three integrated plants, ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management, and 34.5 million square yards of annual tufting capacity position Lyle Industries to meet the volume and traceability requirements. Car manufacturing plants in Georgia demand these capabilities from suppliers.

Contact Lyle Industries through the form on this page to discuss production specifications, part geometries, and material requirements for your automotive flooring or interior trim program.

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