Kia Motors Corporation recently shared a glimpse of its global electric car and vehicle strategy for the coming years. At the brand’s Hwasung plant in Korea Kia’s President and CEO, Ho Sung Song, has said that 25 percent of the company’s world-wide sales of vehicles will be electric by 2029.
The South Korean automaker claims that it has already sold 100,000 battery-powered electric vehicles since 2011, and is looking to accelerate the process by introducing a diverse range of dedicated battery electric cars and vehicles. Kia will also partner with electric car and vehicles charging companies across the globe to achieve this.
Kia also announced it will bring seven dedicated all-electric cars to market by 2027. These seven all-electric cars will cover a variety of cars shapes and styles to suit all tastes and needs. Based on the teaser sketches released these range from a small town car through to larger saloon and sports utility vehicles (SUVs).
Under Kia’s ‘Plan S’ strategy, which was announced at the start of 2020, the brand plans to expand its battery electric vehicles (BEV) line-up to 11 models by 2025. Over the same period, Kia is aiming for BEVs to account for 20 percent of the brand’s total vehicle sales in advanced markets, including Korea, North America and Europe. The first of the seven dedicated electric cars which has been code-named ‘CV’, will be revealed in 2021 as the brand’s first dedicated battery electric car destined for many regions globally.
Kia are also seeking to innovate its sales practices for electric cars. The brand is exploring the creation of subscription services to offer a diversified buying option for customers, as well as battery leasing and rental programs. Plus, other ‘second-life’ battery-related businesses.
Worldwide, Kia is establishing more than 2,400 EV chargers in Europe and around 500 in North America, partnering with its dealer networks. Kia plans to continue to increase its charging infrastructure in line with the growing market for electric cars and vehicles.
Ho Sung Song, Kia CEO, said:
“Kia has sold more than 100,000 BEVs worldwide since the introduction of our first mass-produced BEV in 2011, the Kia Ray EV. 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. By refocusing our business on electrification, we are aiming for BEVs to account for 25 percent of our total worldwide sales by 2029.”
