Kia reveals future plans for electrification

Kia Motors Corporation has just revealed an early draft of several of the brand’s future plans dedicated to Battery Electric Vehicles. The details of Kia’s future EV product strategies were announced last Wednesday, September 16, by Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song during an event at the brand’s Hwasung plant in Korea.

Kia is set to establish a leadership position in the global EV market by responding to the rapidly-growing global consumer demand for electric vehicles. Kia will launch a diverse BEV fleet, and in order to achieve this, the Korean manufacturer will partner up with EV charging companies worldwide. 

“Kia has sold more than 100,000 BEVs worldwide since the introduction of our first mass-produced BEV in 2011, the Kia Ray EV, " said CEO Song. "Since then, we have started to introduce a range of new BEVs for global markets and announced plans to accelerate this process in the years ahead. By refocusing our business on electrification, we are aiming for BEVs to account for 25 percent of our total worldwide sales by 2029.”

At the start of 2020, Kia announced their 'Plan S' strategy, which details the brand's plans to expand its BEV line-up to 11 models by 2025. Over the same period of time, Kia is aiming for BEVs to account for 20 percent of the brand’s total vehicle sales in advanced markets, including Korea, North America and Europe. Seven dedicated BEVs in the sketch revealed today will be launched by 2027. 

The first of these BEVs, code-named CV, will be revealed in 2021 as the brand’s first dedicated BEV, destined for many regions globally. The new model will offer the same competitive product quality and eye-catching design as Kia’s other vehicles, with high-performance driving and recharging characteristics. 

The ‘Plan S’ strategy – a transition to electrification

Earlier in January, Kia Motors unveiled its ‘Plan S’ strategy, outlining the brand’s future plans to transition its businesses to focus on electric vehicles and mobility solutions. Kia is focused on securing a global EV leadership position by launching dedicated BEV models, as well as improving in areas such as production, sales and services.

In a press release, the company detailed its strategies for 'Plan S', saying: "Kia Motors is undergoing a company-wide transformation in order to realize ‘Plan S’. The CV model, due to launch in 2021, will encapsulate the brand’s attitude towards innovation and change, presenting a new design direction that signifies Kia’s transition to an EV-focused business strategy. 

"Kia is planning to respond to market demands by offering diversified product types, with a range of models suitable for urban centers, long-range journeys, and performance driving. Furthermore, by adapting its new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), Kia will be able to offer vehicles with best-in-class interior spaciousness.

"Kia Motors is also seeking to innovate its sales practices for EVs. The brand is exploring the creation of subscription services to offer a diversified buying option for customers, as well as EV battery leasing and rental programs, and other ‘second-life’ battery-related businesses."

In addition to the aforementioned strategies, Kia Motors also has plans to expand its global after service infrastructure for electric vehicles. The company aims to increase its number of dedicated EV work bays in Korea to 1,200 by the year 2030. In other markets around the world, Kia is set to increase its number of EV work bays to 600 by the end of 2020, and more than 2,000 by 2023. Kia also plans to develop its own programs to train EV maintenance professionals.

In their home turf of Korea, Kia is set to strengthen business activities that directly lead to the construction of a charging infrastructure. Kia is aiming to supply around 1,500 EV chargers by 2030. Worldwide, Kia is establishing more than 2,400 EV chargers in Europe and around 500 in North America, partnering with its dealer networks. Kia plans to continue to increase its charging infrastructure in line with the growing market for EVs.

Kia is supporting its efforts to establish a leadership position in the global EV market through active collaboration with governments and by engaging in other commercial partnerships. Having established a new start-up in July this year, Purple M (specializing in providing customized e-mobility services based on EVs), Kia also plans to enhance collaboration with various government organizations to expand cooperation in several areas, including the conversion of public transportation to electric power, and the construction of EV charging infrastructures.