Kia has a new badge, a new slogan, and a new plan to aggressively expand its range of electric cars.
The brand’s latest strategic plan will see it launch seven new electric cars on the e-GMP platform shared with Hyundai, led by the CV crossover spied this week.
It will be revealed in the first quarter of this year, with more than 500km of range and ultra-rapid charging that allows for a full battery in just 20 minutes.
Along with the requisite SUVs, the range of pure-electric vehicles will include passengers cars (hatchbacks, sedans, wagons) and MPVs like the Carnival across “several segments”.
Kia is targeting a 6.6 per cent share of the global electric vehicle market by 2025, and wants to sell 500,000 electric cars annually by 2026.
A new design language will debut in the coming weeks to back the new brand direction.
The range of mainstream electric vehicles will be backed by a range of ‘purpose-built vehicles’ on a basic skateboard EV chassis for ride sharing and delivery companies, along with the software required to manage those fleets.
Renault last night announced a similar plan with its new Mobilize brand, while General Motors earlier this week created BrightDrop to play the same role.
Kia has already revealed its new logo, which is a more modern take on the classic KIA lettering. It this morning also announced its new corporate slogan will be “Movement that Inspires”.
In Australia, the Kia electric vehicle rollout will start in earnest this year. The e-Niro will touch down in the second quarter backed by hybrid and plug-in hybrid models.
We’re getting the current generation of Niro, treated to a mid-cycle update, instead of holding out for the next-generation SG2 model that’s been spied testing.
The Niro will give Kia a rival to the similarly three-pronged Hyundai Ioniq range, plus the Hyundai Kona Electric and the recently introduced MG ZS EV.
Kia has also confirmed it’s planning to launch the seven-seat Sorento Plug-in Hybrid during the second quarter of this year, with the Toyota Kluger-rivalling series hybrid to follow later in the year.
