Kia’s commitment to lunching seven fully electric vehicles by 2027 shows serious future resolve.
Taking a page from GM and Volkswagen, Kia announced that many of their future vehicles will be fully electric vehicles. The first of Kia’s next-generation fully electric (battery electric vehicle) BEVs will be revealed in the first quarter of 2021. Based on a crossover design, this Kia will use the “E-GMP” platform. This vehicle will have an electric driving range of over 500 kilometers (~310 miles). It will also supposedly have a high-speed charging time of under 20 minutes.
This will also be the first global model to bear Kia’s new logo.
The statement says that more information about the first Kia EV, and other innovations will be coming shortly. Kia (they are dropping the “Motors” so it’s just “Kia” from now on) estimates global annual sales of 500,000 BEVs by 2026. According to Kia, they are turning to recyclable materials and renewable energy for more sustainable manufacturing.
“Kia is also developing a range of new Purpose-Built Vehicles (PBVs) for corporate customers. These specialized vehicles will be based on flexible ‘skateboard’ platforms. With modular bodies designed to meet the specific mobility needs of a broad range of corporate and fleet customers. Partnerships with the likes of Canoo and Arrival will mean Kia PBVs can offer different bodies mounted on top of an integrated modular ‘skateboard’ platform, tailored to users’ functional requirements.”
Kia
If you look at the vehicles teased in their promotional photo, you may notice the center vehicle. Could this vehicle be the Kia EV previewed last year? It’s a good guess that it will compete directly with the upcoming Nissan Ariya, Volkswagen ID.4 and Ford Mustang Mach-E – among others. Also, you may notice a few silhouettes that can raise eyebrows, like the van/pod-shaped vehicle on the far side. We have no official information on it, but it looks like it could be something that’s about the same size as a Ram Promaster.
Kia just released a livestream brand showcase video included below.
