Kia Hosts 'Ray EV-Based PBV Idea Contest'

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Kia announced on the 19th that it will hold a "Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) Idea Contest Using the Ray EV."

This contest was organized to identify the diverse needs of consumers using vehicles and to develop new customized PBVs reflecting those needs.

Kia divides the contest into three main categories based on the purpose and target participants: ▲Business (small business owners and startup entrepreneurs using vehicles for business), ▲Lifestyle (general consumers using vehicles for various daily purposes), and ▲Customizing (specialized business operators). Ideas can be submitted through the official website until October 16.

For the Business and Lifestyle categories, participants are asked to describe in a narrative form what their personalized Ray EV with the necessary functions would look like based on their diverse vehicle experiences. For the Customizing category, participants can propose new models modified from the Ray EV using various methods such as videos or 3D drawings.

Kia will form a panel of experts in related fields to conduct preliminary judging based on originality, feasibility, and expected impact. The final winners will be selected on October 31. Awards will be given to a total of 20 teams, with each category awarding ▲Grand Prize to 1 team (10 million KRW), ▲Excellence Prize to 1 team (3 million KRW), and ▲Merit Prize to 5 teams (1 million KRW each).

Teams selected in the Business and Customizing categories will receive not only prize money but also various customized support such as business funding. Kia plans to comprehensively consider the marketability and business potential of the ideas for possible vehicle launches in the future.

A Kia representative said, "This idea contest is significant in that it shifts focus from seller-centered thinking to customer opinions," adding, "It will be a great opportunity to build the PBV ecosystem together with customers through the process where customers’ ideas are directly realized."

Meanwhile, as a customer-centric company, Kia has designated PBV as a core future business to flexibly provide mobility services tailored to increasingly diverse customer needs. As part of this business, it launched the Ray single-seater van and Niro Plus taxi, which are derivative PBV models, this year and plans to release a dedicated PBV model applying the skateboard platform in 2025.

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