Kia presents 2030 roadmap, announces sustainability targets

Kia has been making steady strides towards its sustainability goals, and during its 2022 CEO Investor Day virtual event, the South Korean automotive brand presented the company’s 2030 roadmap as well as its targets to become a sustainable mobility solutions provider.

The roadmap builds on Kia’s successful “Plan S” strategy first announced in 2020 and reveals further details on how the company will achieve its vision.

According to Kia, this corporate vision is anchored in three key pillars: people, planet, and profit. Under these pillars, Kia will strive to enhance customer value and nurture talents, reduce carbon emissions in consideration for the environment, and generate profits while working as a responsible corporate citizen.

“Kia has been undergoing a full-scale transformation which has included changes in corporate vision, logo, product and design, and strategy. 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,” said Kia Corporation President and CEO Ho Sung Song.

In addition, Kia also announced its four key business targets for 2030, the first of which is to sell 1.2 million battery electric vehicle (BEV) units in 2030.

Kia is planning to establish a battery supply and demand strategy and upgrade battery technology as demand is expected to increase significantly from 13GWh to 119GWh in 2030 due to increased EV sales.

The second is to achieve an annual sales of four million units by 2030 as the brand rides on the growing popularity of eco-friendly vehicles.

Kia says that the company will expand sales of eco-friendly vehicles (including BEVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) through enabling and accelerating its electrification efforts, like the brand’s recent move to using green power from wind turbines for its charging stations in Europe.

Kia adds that it will expand the proportion of eco-friendly cars from 17 percent of global sales in 2022 to 52 percent in 2030.

Its third target is to expand the application of connected car features and autonomous driving technologies to all new vehicles. Kia said that from 2025, all new Kia vehicles will be equipped with class-leading connected car features including available OTA software update (Over-the-Air) and FoD (Feature-on-Demand) services across the brand’s line-up.

By 2026, all new models launched in major markets will be available with AutoMode autonomous driving technology.

The fourth and final target is to become the number one brand in the global purpose-built vehicle (PBV) market by 2030. To support this target, Kia plans to establish a dedicated PBV communication channel that can quickly and accurately respond to customer requirements.

In the area of PVBs, Kia’s short-term goal is to develop PBV models derived from current models such as Niro Plus, expected to be deployed for taxi service as well as car-hailing services. Its mid to long-term goal is to develop dedicated PBVs with a flexible structure that sits on a flat, skateboard EV platform, so that the size and shape can be adjusted according to the purpose and customer needs.

After Kia revealed its Plan S strategy, the Hyundai-owned car company has developed into a leading global electric vehicle (EV) brand while recording its highest ever gross revenue and operating profit in 2021. Kia aims to continue this positive momentum by following the aforementioned roadmap and hopefully see itself as one of the top players in the changing automotive industry in the coming years.

Photos from Kia

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