[서울신문] Kia Drives Electric Vehicles Not Apple Cars “Sales of 1.6 million eco-friendly cars a year within 10 years”

‘Great transformation of electric vehicle companies’… 40% production target
Following the release of CV in the new month, the first PBV release next year

Kia, which was mentioned as a promising production base for’Apple Cars’ where cooperation was discontinued, declared this year as the first year of’Kia Transformation (transformation)’ and announced that it would transform into an electric car company. It is determined to grow as a brand that leads the global electric vehicle market by leaving behind the Apple car collaboration. On the 9th, Kia held the’CEO Investor Day’ through an online channel and revealed its three core businesses, electric vehicle strategies, and mid- to long-term financial and investment goals. This is the first company briefing held since the company changed its name and logo last month. Kia announced that it will launch 7 types of exclusive platform electric vehicles by 2026 and will sell 1.6 million eco-friendly vehicles annually by 2030. With 1.6 million units a year, eco-friendly cars account for about 40% of all vehicles sold by Kia. It also set a goal of achieving an operating margin of 7.9% by investing 29 trillion won in future businesses by 2025. Next year, PBV01, the first model of’Purpose-Based Mobility’ (PBV), will be released. PBV, which Hyundai Motor Company unveiled at last year’s CES (International Home Appliances Fair), refers to vehicles that are used for various purposes such as distribution, lodging, and cafes.

For new cars other than electric cars, it announced that it will release a complete change model of the semi-large sedan’K7′ in the first quarter of this year and a complete change model of the semi-mid-sized sports utility vehicle (SUV)’Sportage’ in the second quarter. In particular, by 2025, Kia’s flagship models such as Carnival and Sorento are planning to increase the sales share of recreational vehicles (RVs) including SUVs to 65%.

There was no mention of’Apple Car’, which attracted attention at Kia’s online company briefing that day. After the announcement on the 8th that “we are not conducting discussions on the development of self-driving vehicles with Apple,” it clearly drew a line with the theory of cooperation with Apple cars. Instead, it focused on raising expectations by explaining in detail the CV of the first dedicated platform electric vehicle. Kia will unveil the CV for the first time in the world next month and launch it in the domestic market in July. The CV is a fraternal twin model that shares a platform with Hyundai Motor’s’Ioniq 5′. With a single charge, the maximum mileage exceeds 500 km, and it can travel 100 km in just 4 minutes.

Nevertheless, Kia shares fell for the second consecutive day. The market closed at 86,300 won, a drop of 14.98% from 10,500 won the previous day, and on this day, it closed at 84,900 won, down 1.62%.

Reporter Lee Young-jun [email protected]