Song Hoseong, Kia Motors President, Visits Gwangju Plant... "Checking PBV Ecosystem"

Visited Gwangju Plant as First Field Visit After CEO Appointment
Checked Related Ecosystem to Lead Core PBV Business of 'Plan S'
Explored Collaboration Possibilities by Visiting Local Special Vehicle Companies

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] On the 16th, Song Ho-sung, President of Kia Motors, visited the Gwangju plant and specialized vehicle manufacturers in the Gwangju area to inspect the 'Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV)' ecosystem.

Kia Motors has established a production line for special vehicles, including military vehicles, at its Gwangju Hanam plant and is developing and supplying vehicles tailored to various customer purposes. After touring the special vehicle production line at the Gwangju Hanam plant, President Song emphasized, “Based on Kia’s heritage in the special vehicle business, we must thoroughly prepare to provide customized vehicles and optimal solutions that meet the diverse demands of corporate customers in mobility and logistics in a timely manner, so that we can lead the global PBV business.”

President Song’s choice of the Gwangju plant as his first site visit after being appointed CEO through the shareholders' meeting and board of directors on the 10th of this month is interpreted as a demonstration of his commitment to proactively execute the PBV business, which is a core part of ‘Plan S.’ This visit aimed to lay the foundation for the concrete realization of related strategies by inspecting the PBV-related network in the Gwangju region.

In January this year, Kia Motors unveiled its mid- to long-term future strategy ‘Plan S,’ which aims to transform the company into two major future businesses: ‘electric vehicles and mobility solutions.’ In particular, it aspires to secure competitiveness in the PBV market. To this end, Kia established a 'New Business Promotion Office' to drive the PBV new business and made a strategic investment in the UK-based commercial electric vehicle specialist ‘Arrival.’ It is also collaborating with the domestic autonomous driving TaaS company ‘Code42’ to develop mobility services dedicated to the PBV business. In the second half of the year, Kia plans to accelerate the development of smart logistics-dedicated PBVs through partnerships with U.S. startups.

Additionally, Kia Motors is actively discovering related companies with capabilities in manufacturing customized vehicles and parts for domestic and international purpose-built customers. Accordingly, President Song visited ‘Kobico,’ a specialized vehicle manufacturer, to explore potential collaboration opportunities in the PBV business. Kobico produces driver cabins and cargo beds for military cargo vehicles, heavy military transport vehicles, and military ambulances tailored to the military’s special requirements.

Kia Motors is promoting the PBV business as a B2B-oriented comprehensive service business that efficiently supports electric vehicle operation and creates new added value by providing solutions. Starting with separate PBV trims for existing electric vehicles such as the Niro EV and Soul EV, Kia is developing PBVs customized for urban logistics services, including vehicles dedicated to car-sharing services, low-floor logistics vehicles that facilitate loading and unloading, and fresh food delivery vehicles equipped with refrigeration and cooling systems. Furthermore, Kia is utilizing an open innovation approach to secure technologies for small-volume, multi-model development of core parts and vehicles, as well as various body module assembly technologies based on chassis platforms.

A Kia Motors official stated, “By establishing open innovation-based partnerships with various companies across the entire PBV ecosystem, we will provide optimal solutions in a timely manner and develop the PBV business into a new growth engine.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.