Kia unveils roadmap for electrification and mobility services

Kia’s updates Plan S is built on three pillars: a transition to EVs, strenghtening the PBV business (more on this below) and expanding future mobility services.

At the 2021 CEO Investor Day, held digitally in Seoul earlier this week, Kia Corporation President and CEO Ho Sung Song announced an update to its Plan S strategy.

"Kia is being reborn in 2021 with a new logo, new design, and new corporate name," said President Song. "Kia will transform into a brand that excites and inspires customers with innovative mobility experiences.”

EV transition

By 2030, battery-electric vehicles (BEV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) will make up 40% of all Kia sales, with an annual sales target of 1.6 million units. BEVs alone should reach 880,000 units.

By 2026, Kia will strengthen its EV lineup with 11 new models, seven dedicated EVs built on the Electric-Global Modular Platform and four based on existing ICE platforms.

PBV business

Kia plans to unveil its first purpose-built vehicle (PBV) in 2022, with further PBVs to be launched according to market needs. The company is targeting annual sales of 1 million units by 2030 to become a world leader in PBVs. To this end, Kia will develop a variety of specialised vehicles based on its PBV-dedicated skateboard platforms.

PBVs will be built on autonomous driving technology and could include vehicles in the fields of robot delivery, self-driving taxis and e-commerce applications.

Mobility services

Kia will expand mobility services aimed at consumers, businesses and governments.

In the B2C domain, Kia will expand existing services in Spain, Italy and Russia and launch in additional European markets.

Kia will also launch an EV-based business-to-government and business-to-business service that combines subscription and carsharing, allowing vehicles to be used for business on weekdays and rented by individuals on the weekends.

Later this year, the Kia Flex subscription programme, introduced in Korea in 2019, will launch globally under the name Kia Subscription. The service will be operated by Sixt Leasing, which was acquired by Hyundai Motor Group last year.

Image: Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song (copyright: Kia)