Kia is undergoing an intense transformation phase and the new logo is just the tip of the iceberg. The South Korean manufacturer's focus will shift to creating sustainable mobility solutions, justifying changing the company name from Kia Motors Corporation to just Kia Corporation.
And when we refer to sustainable mobility solutions, we must inevitably talk about 100% electric and electrified vehicles. Kia's goal is to reach 2030 with 40% of its global sales corresponding to the sale of electric and hybrid vehicles (conventional and plug-in), which will translate into approximately 880 thousand 100% electric vehicles and 725,000 hybrid vehicles.
To achieve this, Kia will launch by 2026 seven new electric vehicles on a dedicated platform — the already unveiled e-GMP — which will join the four other planned electric vehicles derived from platforms for vehicles with an internal combustion engine. In other words, 11 100% electric vehicles in total and all to be on the market a year earlier than originally announced in “Plan S”.
Kia "Imagine by Kia", presented in 2019, should be the inspiration for the new CV.
CV, the first
The first of these new trams will be presented at the end of next March and will start to be sold in the second half of the year, being known, for now, only by its code name CV. It should adopt the name EV followed by a number — EV1, EV2, … are the designations of the new models — and it will be a crossover having as potential rivals the Volkswagen ID.4, the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the unavoidable Tesla Model Y. Or. that is, at least one level above the current e-Niro.
The new e-GMP platform — to be debuted by the Hyundai IONIQ 5 — promises to give the future CV a set of desirable features in the electric world, such as allowing charging at 800 V, translating into faster charging (4 minutes per each 100 km autonomy), and a maximum range of up to 500 km. Performance was not forgotten, promising 3.0s in the 0-100 km for its most powerful version. It will also allow remote upgrades (over the air) and later reach level 3 of autonomous driving.
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Kia says the CV plays an important role in raising brand awareness and corresponding future positioning. No wonder, therefore, that he is the one to debut the new Kia logo, as its design — a department headed by Karim Habib — should also mark a new stylistic path for the brand.
The remaining electrics to be launched by Kia based on the e-GMP have not been specified, except that three will be SUVs and the other three will be cars. As for the other four electric vehicles, we know that one will be a commercial vehicle and the other will be the successor to the Kia Niro.
The distribution of the launch of all 11 trams by 2026 will happen as follows (if no changes are made): the CV in 2021, one model in 2022, three in 2023, two in 2024 and three more in 2025-26.
PBV
The investment in mobility will also be made in the offer of services (car sharing, for example), but which will also include the development of vehicles for specific use for this purpose, called PBV or Purpose Built Vehicle.
The first of these vehicles will appear in 2022 on a dedicated platform — a skateboard type — and will be able to accommodate a series of bodies according to the intended use: from taxi to goods vehicle. They will also have a strong component in terms of autonomous driving; a future where more and more brands are betting on.