Kia Introduces Future Brand Ambition, Announces Release of First BEVs

Global mobility brand Kia has announced new details of its new brand purpose and ambitions for the future at a digital showcase event. It has come up with a new brand slogan ‘Movement that inspires’, which will see the company go beyond vehicle manufacturing to create sustainable mobility solutions for customers.

Additionally, Kia has announced a new corporate name. It is Removing the ‘Motors’ from its previous name ‘Kia Motors Corporation’. Kia will expand into new and emerging business areas by creating innovative mobility products and services to improve customers’ daily lives.

Commenting on the changes, the President, and CEO of Kia Corporation, Ho Sung Song stated, “At Kia, we believe that transportation, mobility, and movement represent a human right. Our vision is to create sustainable mobility solutions for consumers, communities, and societies globally. Today we start putting this vision into action with the launch of our new brand purpose and strategy for the future.”

“Movement has always been at the heart of our brand and moving people at the core of our business. Movement helps humankind to constantly progress, improve, and evolve. That is why at Kia we believe that movement inspires ideas, said Artur Martins, Senior Vice President, Head of Global Brand & Customer Experience at Kia.

Kia will see the brand establish a leadership position in the future mobility industry, to encompass EVs, mobility solutions and services, purpose-built vehicles, and more under Plan S. Furthermore, it will simultaneously promote more sustainable production through the usage of clean energy and recyclable materials, the company says.

Interestingly, it is focusing on popularizing battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plans to reinforce its global product line-up with the introduction of seven new dedicated BEVs by 2027. These new models will include a range of passenger vehicles, SUVs, and MPVs across several segments, each incorporating industry-leading technology for long-range driving and high-speed charging from Hyundai Motor Group’s new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP).

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.

Moreover, Kia’s first next-generation BEVs will be revealed in the first quarter of 2021, comprising its shifting focus towards electrification. Based on new E-GMP technology, this BEV will offer an electric driving range of over 500 kilometers having a high-speed charging time of under 20 minutes.

This will also be the first global model to bear Kia’s new logo. With its growing range of BEVs, Kia is targeting a 6.6% share of the global BEV market by 2025, and global annual sales of 500,000 BEVs by 2026.

Speaking on the BEV, Senior Vice President, Head of Kia Global Design Center, Karim Habib explains, “We want our products to deliver an instinctive and natural experience that can improve the daily lives of our customers.”

“Our aim is to design the physical experience of our brand and to create original, inventive, and exciting electric vehicles. The ideas of our designers and the purpose of the brand are more connected than ever, with our customers at the center of what we do,” Habib added.