By Kenneth Thompson

Staff writer

Some of the first vehicles built at the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia facility in West Point will be sold in LaGrange.

The Kia plant is slated to begin production in November and a new Kia dealership on Lafayette Parkway will be ready for business by December, its owner said.

The 17,000 square-foot dealership, located at 1217 Lafayette Parkway, will sport 250 vehicles on its 3.8 acre lot when it opens Dec. 1, co-owner Jesse Liechty said.

“We planned for the opening to coincide with Kia’s projected start date in November,” Liechty said. “We will break ground on it in about a month.”

All of the dealership’s SUVs will be provided by the plant in West Point while cars will be imported from South Korea, Liechty said.

Though he didn’t disclose the name of the builder, Liechty said it will be a local company.

Liechty also owns Parkway Mitsubishi in LaGrange and will co-own the new dealership with another current dealership owner from Wilson, N.C.

“We also plan to build Kia dealerships in Newnan and Auburn, Ala.,” Liechty said. “We already have the rights to dealerships in those locations.”

The upcoming one in LaGrange will result in 30 new jobs, Liechty said.

He will accept applications for positions sometime in October, including sales staff, service technicians and management.

Kenneth Thompson can be reached at kethompson@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.