(Wed 20 Jan 10)

A Kia cee'd SW has become the half-millionth car to be produced at the Kia Motors Slovakia factory near the city of Zilina. The SW has been donated to the Transplantation Centre in the nearby town of Martin, which will use it to transport surgery teams and donated organs.

Records confirming the existence of Zilina go back to the early 13th Century, but despite this history the car factory has become the city's major employer in just four years. In 2009 150,000 cars were built there - predominantly five-door cee'd hatchbacks - and the total is likely to increase this year thanks to two new models; the Hyundai ix35 went into volume production on January 15, while the new Kia Sportage will be added in June.

Zilina also builds engines (more than 243,000 last year) both for its own cars and for Czech-built Hyundais. The latest engine to go into production is a 1.4-litre turbo diesel due to be used in the Venga, which will go on sale in the UK next month.

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