Kia may make face masks at China factory to battle coronavirus

Kia Motors is thinking about making face masks at its Chinese factory to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, a spokesman stated.

The announcement comes after a similar move made by Fiat Chrysler, whose CEO Mike Manley stated earlier this week that one of the group’s plants in Asia would be used for producing face masks for healthcare workers and would reach a target of one million masks on monthly basis in coming weeks.

Kia could make masks at its Yancheng plant after the Chinese government asked automakers to create them, the spokesman said. He refused to comment on possible timing or any production target.

Kia has suspended production at its Georgia plant located in the United States, its Slovakia site and operations in India because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus has so far infected over 575,758 people and killed 26,405 worldwide.