Kia moving up BEV plan

Kia Corporation recently unveiled plans for sustainable mobility, including an announcement to accelerate its battery electric vehicle production.

It presented a roadmap for its plan to 2023 during its 2022 CEO Investor Day virtual event. It follows its ‘Plan S’ that was unveiled in 2020

Kia introduced four key business targets moving forward:

• Accelerating electrification and achieving annual sales of 1.2 million battery electric vehicle (BEV) units by 2030;
• Reaching four million annual vehicle sales by 2030, including over two million eco-friendly models;
• Expanding the application of connected car features and autonomous driving technologies to all new vehicles;
• Become the Number 1 brand in the global purpose-built vehicle (PBV) market by 2030.

The company will also expand its BEV lineup to 14 models by 2027. Starting in 2023, Kia plans to launch at least two BEVs per year. It had originally planned for 11 BEVs by 2026. Furthermore, the company will add two electric pickup trucks — a dedicated electric pickup truck and a strategic model for emerging markets and an entry-level BEV model.

“Kia has been undergoing a full-scale transformation which has included changes in corporate vision, logo, product and design, and strategy,” said Ho Sung Song, president and CEO of Kia. “To achieve the company’s vision of becoming a Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider, we will focus on accelerating the transition to future business models. We will become even more customer-centric in our approach and pursue a dynamic transformation while maintaining sound business operations.”