Kia Motors further cuts work hours amid falling sales

SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's second-largest
automaker, is further cutting back work hours at its main domestic plant to cope
with falling sales as a global recession has hit vehicle demand worldwide, a
source said Monday.

Workers at Kia, a unit of Hyundai Motor Co., are putting in six-hour days, down
from previous 10-hour shifts, at their plant in the city of Gwangju, 329
kilometers southwest of Seoul. The plant produces the Carens crossover and
Sportage sport-utility vehicles.
Since early October, employees have stopped both weekend shifts and overtime
hours, the source said.
Local newspapers have reported that Kia set its 2009 sales target at 1.47 million
vehicles, compared with an estimated sales goal of 1.61 million vehicles this
year.
Hyundai also cut back on work hours and closed some of its production lines
during weekends earlier this month to control rising inventories.
(END)