Kia President Song Hosung: "13 EV Models to Launch by 2030"

Full Lineup with EV2, EV4, and EV5... Strengthening Leadership in the EV Market

Future Growth through PBVs and SDVs... Integrating AI and Robotics Technologies

Kia President Song Hosung has expressed his determination to strengthen Kia's position in the electric vehicle (EV) market.

On March 20, at the regular general meeting of shareholders held at Kia's headquarters, Song stated, "By 2030, we will launch 13 electric vehicle models to build an EV lineup that meets diverse customer needs and, through improvements in EV product competitiveness, further enhance our EV competitiveness."

Kia President Song Hoseong is speaking at Kia's 80th anniversary ceremony held on the 5th at Kia Vision Square in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Yonhap News

Song presented three strategies for the era of EV popularization: launching 13 EV models by 2030, expanding charging infrastructure, and diversifying production bases.

He emphasized, "Starting with the EV3 in 2024, followed by the EV4 and EV5 in 2025, and the EV2 in 2026 (this year), Kia plans to strengthen its leadership in the EV market through a full lineup of mass-market models."

Song also stated that Kia will optimize its EV supply chain by diversifying production bases tailored to the characteristics of major markets such as Korea, Europe, the United States, and emerging markets.

He also identified the Purpose Built Vehicle (PBV) business as a core growth axis. He explained, "PBVs are customized platforms that can be configured in terms of space and software to meet customer needs in passenger transport, logistics, retail, and leisure." He added, "Starting with the PV5 last year, we plan to expand the lineup with the PV7 in 2027 and the PV9 in 2029."

Kia will also build production bases and develop an ecosystem in parallel. Song said, "We will establish a dedicated PBV production system based on the Hwaseong EVO Plant and develop various specialized models through the conversion center. We will also work with partner companies to expand the industrial competitiveness and ecosystem based on PBVs."

Kia plans to further expand into new mobility domains by integrating robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into PBVs. Song emphasized, "Through the integration of robotics and AI, we aim to continuously realize customer- and people-centered values."

To prepare for the era of future mobility, Song stated, "By 2027, we will unveil a next-generation Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) that combines AI-based user experience (UX) and connectivity, and will apply it to mass-production models thereafter." The core function of the SDV, autonomous driving technology, will be localized through collaboration with Motional and 42dot.

He also stressed the importance of corporate value growth based on market trust. Song said, "Kia's management prioritizes protecting and enhancing the interests of shareholders. We will walk alongside shareholders as we implement the company's long-term growth roadmap, and will ensure stable and appropriate shareholder returns that reflect corporate value growth."

Meanwhile, at the shareholders' meeting held that day, the proposals for the reappointment of internal director Kim Seungjun and outside directors Jeon Chanhyuk and Shin Jaeyong were passed as originally proposed.

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