Kia is debuting its first all-electric plug-in concept car – based on the just-arrived Venga – at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Venga EV concept car is identical to the regular Venga B-segment MPV but features an electric motor producing 80 kW and maximum torque of 280 Nm. Venga EV is capable of accelerating from standstill to 62mph in 11.8 seconds, and reaching a top speed of 87 mph.

Venga EV includes a twin-pack 24 kWh battery using innovative LiPoly (Lithium Ion Polymer) technology that offers numerous advantages over other battery types, and provides a driving range of 112 miles on a single charge.

Under the quick recharging cycle (50 kW) the battery can be recharged to 80 percent of its capacity within 20 minutes. Under the normal cycle (3.3 kW), 100 percent power is attained after eight hours.

Venga EV is a front-wheel drive vehicle with the electric powertrain placed within the existing engine bay. The battery pack is located under the boot floor.

As an all-electric, zero-emissions vehicle that is solely powered by electric energy stored inside its battery, Venga EV will contribute to increased environmental protection.

KMMG is expected to produce 300,000 vehicles a year at full capacity and employ 2,500 people, with on-site and nearby suppliers creating 7,500 additional jobs in the region.

“The start of production at our first manufacturing facility in the United States further demonstrates our commitment to growth in North America and we are proud to be adding 2,500 jobs to the local economy,” said B.M. Ahn, President and CEO, Kia Motors America (KMA) and KMMG.

Representing an investment of US$1 billion by Kia Motors, KMMG will establish new benchmarks for vehicle quality and productivity by utilizing some of the world’s most advanced manufacturing techniques.

KMMG’s general assembly area is outfitted with more than a half mile of height-adjustable conveyors to achieve the best installation position for each team member and reduce physical fatigue. The plant is also remarkable in being fitted with wooden flooring in the general assembly area to provide a more comfortable and forgiving work environment for team members.

Built on 2,200 acres, the complex includes a body stamping facility, a transmission shop where the Sorento’s six-speed automatic transmission is produced and a two mile test track. The plant’s 186-foot-long stamping press delivers 5,400 tons of pressure to stamp steel into 17 different types of vehicle panels for the Sorento, operating at a speed of seven to 15 strokes per minute.

The massive stamping equipment ranges from almost 20 feet below the floor to 39.4 feet above ground.

KMMG continues Kia Motors’ aggressive investment in the US market. Since 2002, more than US$1.3 billion has been invested in various facilities throughout the country, including a dedicated corporate campus and design center in Irvine, California, a state-of-the-art research and development centre in Ann Arbor, Michigan and a custom-built vehicle proving ground in Mojave, California.

The paw-tapping, music-loving hamsters seen in the automaker’s current ad campaign are featured in the “Go Hamster Go!” app, which is Kia’s first-ever augmented reality game and first Facebook application.

“Strategically, this effort is about quality of interaction, not broad reach — that’s what TV and portal ads are for,” says Dave Schoonover, Kia Motors America national manager, CRM and affiliate marketing. “Facebook is recognized as a quality service where many of our target audience congregate. We felt it would be a natural fit.”

Other elements of the Soul launch have included a non webcam-required game, “Escape from Hamsterdam. “During the pre-launch phase we had some special mobile applications such as our iMeem sponsorship or our Soul Cards bar code scanning, and we have mobile launch advertising as well which is driving over 100,000 unique visitors per month to Kia’s mobile website,” Schoonover tells Marketing Daily.

The application, created by digital marketing agency Total Immersion in association with marketing agencies Initiative and David & Goliath, is available on the Kia Soul Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/kiasoul, through the “Go Hamster Go!” tab. The home page for the app, apps.facebook.com/gohamstergo/, offers tabs to “Meet the Soul,” which takes users to kiasoul.com. Users can also opt to click on a link to watch the TV spot.

The interactive application, which had more than 6,200 players as of 5 p.m. Aug. 4, places users into the game, allowing them to race against the clock in an augmented reality experience with the Soul ad campaign hamsters. Using facial recognition technology, the player controls the competition with his or her face using a virtual magnet that “connects” to his or her forehead. The object of the game is to grab a hamster with the magnet as it comes off of a conveyer belt and place it into a Soul as an onscreen clock ticks down.

The webcam requirement probably isn’t a problem for the Kia Soul’s younger target demographic, which is ages 18-34, educated and a slightly male skew. “This would not be the right thing to do for many of our other older models,” Schoonover says. “But 70% of laptops today are shipped with built-in webcams. So, for the Soul audience, yes all the way.”

Brandon Evans, managing partner, strategy and services at New York-based Mr Youth, says the social media agency advises clients to skip applications that require webcams if their goal is broad reach. “We’ve had a lot of clients asking about augmented reality usage,” Evans says. “It really depends on what their goals are as to whether this makes sense for them or not. If you’re trying to reach a tech blog audience and get them to write about how cool it is, there could be a halo effect.”

Using cutting-edge technology can position a brand as forward-thinking, Evans said. But he believes mass adoption of webcams is still about a year away.

MediaPost’s Social Media Insider columnist Catharine P. Taylor says while using a webcam personalizes games for individuals, it can be a turnoff for someone who wants to connect with the brand but doesn’t have the technology. “They could have had two options for the game, one using a webcam and one not,” she says. “Then you have the potential of reaching more people. With so much media fragmentation, you really need to appeal to the lowest common denominator.”