Marque unveils electric targets

Kia has unveiled details of its new brand purpose and ambitions with plans being made to roll out the strategy in New Zealand.

Supported by the marque’s new slogan of “movement that inspires”, it has revealed more about its bid to “go beyond vehicle manufacturing to create sustainable mobility solutions”.

Also, its corporate name no longer includes “Motors” because the company will expand into new and emerging business areas.

“At Kia, we believe transportation, mobility and movement represent a human right,” says Ho Sung Song, president and chief executive officer of Kia Corporation.

“Our vision is to create sustainable mobility solutions for consumers, communities, and societies globally.”

Todd McDonald, managing director of Kia New Zealand, says that vision is creating excitement in the organisation.

He adds the marque’s new logo signifies the emergence of a “brand new Kia with the symbolic unlocking of the brand through the removal of the previous oval around the word Kia”.

“Kia is aiming for leadership in battery electric vehicles [BEVs] and the provision of mobility services worldwide,” says McDonald. “Locally, my team and I are excited about Kia’s future.”

The company’s website and all communications having now adopted the new logo and brand slogan.

McDonald adds plans are also in place for the dealer showrooms to have the new corporate look and there is considerable enthusiasm among the dealer network for the change. 

Kia is focusing on popularising BEVs and plans to reinforce its global line-up byintroducing seven new dedicated such models by 2027. 

They will include a range of passenger vehicles, SUVs and MPVs across several segments, each incorporating Kia’s new electric-global modular platform (E-GMP).

The company is also developing a range of purpose-built vehicles (PBVs) for corporate customers. 

These specialised models will be based on flexible “skateboard” platforms with modular bodies designed to meet specific mobility needs of a range of corporate and fleet customers. 

Partnerships with the likes of Canoo and Arrival will mean Kia’s PBVs can offer different bodies tailored to users’ functional requirements.

Demand for PBVs is expected to grow five-fold by 2030 due to rapid and sustained growth in e-commerce and car-sharing services. 

Another strategic objective is a commitment by Kia to diversify its business to offer eco-friendly mobility services centred on electric and autonomous driving in major global cities.

In addition, it is ramping up collaboration and partnerships with global mobility solutions businesses, diversifying mobility services in global strategic regions. 

In 2018, the company invested in Grab, south-east Asia’s largest ride-hailing service, food delivery and payment solutions company.

It did the same with Ola in March 2019, an Indian company offering peer-to-peer ride-sharing, ride-service hailing, taxi, food delivery and other mobility services.

Kia is also establishing other mobility services including WiBLE, a car-sharing joint venture with Repsol, Spain’s major energy corporation.

Launched in September 2018, WiBLE operates 500 Niro plug-in hybrid EVs through a free-floating method that allows users to freely rent and return them within the service area. 

WiBLE is one of Europe’s most successful shared-mobility schemes with more than130,000 members having registered since its inauguration. 

And a new service, KiaMobility, was launched in parts of Italy and Russia in September 2020 and will be introduced to several new markets in the years ahead.

The first of Kia’s next-generation BEVs will be revealed in the first quarter of 2021, embodying Kia’s shifting focus towards electrification. 

This dedicated BEV will boast a crossover-inspired design while offering an electric driving range of more than 500km and a high-speed charging time of less than 20 minutes. It 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 per cent share of the global BEV market by 2025 and global annual sales of 500,000 BEVs by 2026.

(The photo with this article shows Kia’s branding showcased with silhouettes of the upcoming range of EVs it plans to launch by 2027)