>>martin: residents of west point georgia are welcoming the new kia motors plant. it is kias first ever northamerican plant, and it comes at a very tough time for us auto makers - especially in this region. ford and general motors recently closed their plants in this state. but despite the downturn, kia and hyundai have managed to boost their she of the us auto market. >>reporter: a market undergoing a sea change, as the downturn deepens customers are increasingly demanding more for their money. kias smaller and frugal cars seem to be doing well compared to their american counterparts even if overall numbers are down. >>hyoungkeun in the developed market, like north america and europe, of course we faced decrease of our sales. but its far less than the industry volume decrease. that helped us. for example, in the us, by the end of may, our sales decreased only 4%. >>the new us site will give kia a foothold in the american market. plus unsurprisingly the state offered millions of dollars in incentives; lots of available land; and strong transport links....including-