Kia is preparing to start construction on a new factory dedicated to the production of PBV (purpose-built vehicles) electric vehicles in the second half of 2025. These vehicles are intended for specific uses such as deliveries, shuttles or taxis autonomous. Kia is aiming for an initial annual production of 150,000 units.
Kia’s first PBV model, currently known under the tentative code name “SW”, will be unveiled in 2025 and will use the eS skateboard platform developed specifically for PBV vehicles. During the inauguration ceremony, the management of Hyundai Group (which includes the brands Kia, Hyundai, Genesis and the spare parts supplier Mobis) announced its ambition to become one of the three largest manufacturers of electric vehicles in the world. by 2030.
To achieve this goal, the group plans to invest up to 16.6 billion euros to increase the production and exports of electric cars (including PBVs).
The group plans to produce up to 3.64 million electric vehicles per year by 2030, divided between its various brands, of which 1.51 million will be manufactured in South Korea. The group plans to develop a specific platform for each vehicle segment using the Integrated Modular Architecture (IMA) system, starting with the eM platform for electric passenger cars in 2025. The future eM platform could offer 50% greater range to that of the group’s current electric vehicles based on the e-GMP platform. A sedan of the Ioniq 6 type could thus be granted nearly 900 km of autonomy.
At the Investor Day chaired by Kia’s CEO, it was announced that the group was also working to reduce the costs of batteries, electric motors and integrated charging systems. This initiative aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the group’s electric vehicles on the world market by making “its electrical technology more accessible to consumers”.