[CES 2024] Cars turn to offices: Kia announces new line of modular vans

Industry

Published: 09 Jan. 2024, 10:33 Updated: 09 Jan. 2024, 18:46

[CES 2024] Cars turn to offices: Kia announces new line of modular vans

Kia CEO Song Ho-sung, center, and other Kia executives talk about the company's PBV strategies in Las Vegas on Monday. [KIA]

LAS VEGAS — The driver's seat becomes a desk. The steering wheel becomes a lamp. Your car, used for commuting during the weekdays, becomes a camper van for the weekend.

This is the future Kia envisions. At its first CES appearance in five years, the company unveiled a new commercial EV lineup that can change form depending on a driver's needs.

The electric vans, trucks and ride-hailing vehicles are all set to be built on a new modular EV platform called Platform Beyond Vehicles, or PBV for short. It is named after purpose-built vehicles (PBVs), which are designed for specific use cases such as shuttling, last-mile delivery and ride-hailing service.

“Kia’s PBV business represents our vision of going beyond the traditional concept of automobiles by fulfilling the unmet needs of diverse customers and communities through optimized vehicles and services catering to specific markets and business circumstances,” said Kia CEO Song Ho-sung at a presentation in Las Vegas ahead of CES 2024, which opens its doors to the public on Tuesday.

Kia CEO Song Ho-sung talks during a presentation at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas ahead of the CES 2024 that kicks off on Tuesday. [KIA]

Kia's PBV lineup [KIA]

Kia unveiled the PV5, its first mid-size PBV, as an EV optimized for major domains such as hailing, delivery and utilities that feature conversion capability for diverse customer needs.

The modular PBV will come with an "Easy Swap" technology that allows a chassis to be extended or shortened as needed. A single PBV could serve as a taxi during the day, a delivery van at night, and a personal recreation vehicle on weekends.

Kia was light on specs, but the vehicle is slated to be released in 2025. The company has been building a 1 trillion won ($770 million) PBV manufacturing facility in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, where production will start in December 2024 with an annual capacity of 150,000.

A teaser image of Kia's PBV [KIA]

The price of the PV5 will start around $35,000, Song said.

Kia also teased images of PV7, the largest model and PV1, the smallest model, which aim to expand the business to logistics firms, mobility companies and individual businesses.

Kia already has secured partnerships with various global companies related to the new EVs; Song mentioned Uber, Coupang, CJ Logistics, and Kakao Mobility during the presentation.

Kia also plans to introduce a PBV self-driving taxi with Level 4 technology jointly with Motional. A Level 4 self-driving vehicle is able to operate on its own under ordinary conditions with rare human intervention.

A teaser image of Kia's PBV [KIA]

"With Kia changing its name from Kia Motors in 2021, Kia is looking for a springboard through PBVs," Song said.

The global PBV market is expected to include 1.5 million EVs in 2030. Kia aims to produce 30,000 by 2030 and become the No. 1 player with that 20 percent share.

Kia set up two exhibitions at CES 2024, with one showcasing five PBV concepts including PV1, PV5, and PV7, and the second featuring its EV lineup including the concept EV3 and EV4 and existing EV6 and EV9.

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]