During an investor presentation this week, Kia announced plans to increase its electric vehicle sales target and launch a dedicated self-driving taxi.
The automaker said it is now targeting annual sales of 1.6 million electric vehicles by 2030, up from the previous 1.2 million electric vehicle annual sales in 2030 announced last year. Kia also plans to have 15 EV models in its global lineup by 2027, one more model from what was announced last year. That target has been increased from 11 planned global electric vehicles by 2026.
Rendering Kia’s purpose-built vehicles
Kia also announced a robotaxi, an autonomous vehicle aimed specifically at carpooling services, but didn’t have a specific timeline for that vehicle. It will be one of a number of so-called “purpose-built vehicles,” Kia’s term for vehicles designed for mobility services such as ride-sharing and last-mile delivery. Kia announced the robotaxi will be part of a “full lineup” of these vehicles, starting with a mid-size model that will be built at a dedicated plant in Hwaseong, South Korea, starting next year. 2025.
Tesla’s Elon Musk announced last year that the robotaxis of the future will create the need for affordable EVs is less urgent or related, but Kia’s strategy of dividing them into a separate business from passenger cars means that the prices of these vehicles will still have to be maintained at a certain level. Despite that, robotaxis relies on autonomous driving technology still in development.
Kia EV6 GT 2023
Kia’s next electric vehicle for individual consumers is the EV9 SUV, which the automaker has just confirmed will be built. at the West Point, Georgia factory starting in 2024. Other future Kia models are likely to be manufactured by Hyundai “Metaplant”, also in Georgia.
In an earlier sustainability roadmap released in 2021, Kia also mentioned plans for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in 2028, but didn’t provide any updates on this in this week’s presentation.
