Kia CEO Ho Sung Song
“By refocusing our business on electrification, we are aiming for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to account for 25% of our total worldwide sales by 2029,” says Kia president and CEO Ho Sung Song.
Kia says it plans to establish a leadership position in the global electric vehicle (EV) market by responding to fast-growing global consumer demand for EVs.
To achieve this, the brand will launch a diverse range of dedicated BEVs, while it will also partner 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," says 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.”
Under Kia’s Plan-S strategy, the brand plans to expand its BEV line-up to 11 models by 2025.
Over the same period, Kia is aiming for BEVs to account for 20% of the brand’s total vehicle sales in advanced markets, including Korea, North America and Europe.
A BEV code-named CV will be revealed in 2021 as the brand’s first dedicated BEV, destined for many regions globally.
Kia Motors says it is undergoing a company-wide transformation in order to realise Plan S and that the CV model will have to present a new design direction that signifies Kia’s transition to an EV-focused business strategy.
Kia says it is planning to respond to market demands by offering diversified product types, with a range of models suitable for urban centres, long-range journeys, and performance driving.
The Korean car maker says it is also seeking to innovate its sales practices to become more suited to 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 programmes, and other second-life battery-related businesses.
In addition, Kia plans to expand its global after-service infrastructure for EVs.
The manufacturer aims to increase its number of dedicated EV work bays in Korea to 1 200 by 2030.
In other markets worldwide, Kia will increase its number of EV work bays to 600 by the end of this year, and to more than 2 000 by 2023.
Kia also plans to develop its own programmes to train EV maintenance professionals.