Every 60 seconds, to a robotic burst of Mozart's Symphony No. 40, a new Kia sedan or SUV emerges from beneath a cascade of sparks at the South Korean carmaker's gleaming assembly plant in this northwestern Slovakia town. This is Europe's Motor City: a "Detroit East" where business is booming and -- for now, at least -- there's no sign of the crisis gripping America's Big Three automakers.
"We're talking about adding jobs, not eliminating them," says Jun-Bum Park, general manager of Kia Motors Slovakia, which opened the sprawling $1.36 billion complex in Zilina in December 2006.
Although Slovak auto workers are unionized, they've struck a deal with foreign carmakers to ensure their wages keep pace with inflation and raises don't exceed a company's productivity in percentage terms.
"American unions are more drastic and demanding," says Kia's Park. "We are listening to our employees, trying not to have confrontations."
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