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<\/p>\n\u201cEVs for all.\u201d That\u2019s what Kia called its electrification strategy at its inaugural EV Day event in Seoul, where the automaker publicized more of its plans to become a battery-vehicle powerhouse in the years and decades to come. And by \u201call,\u201d Kia really seems to mean all. From South Korea to Slovakia to India and beyond, the Korean company has EV production and sale ambitions up there with Tesla and BYD.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been no secret that the Hyundai Motor Group, which owns Kia, has emerged as one of the most serious players in the electric space. For the Kia brand alone, those goals mean EV production across eight global bases by 2025, with Korea as the \u201cmain hub,\u201d each making differently priced passenger and commercial EVs to serve the wildly different needs of its customers worldwide. To do that, it aims for a lineup of EVs ranging from $30,000 to $80,000 globally (in U.S. dollars) and possibly below that in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur ultimate aim is to provide unique value to as many people as possible,\u201d Kia\u2019s co-CEO and President Ho Sung Song told a group of reporters from across the world gathered in Seoul last week. What that means, Song and his team said, is focusing on small- and medium-sized EVs in Europe, mid- to large-sized ones for China, and increased production in North America to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act\u2019s tax credits. It means large SUVs, midsize and compact crossovers and sedans, entries into completely new arenas, and swings like the planned subcompact Kia EV2 \u2013 which could become a leader in the long-awaited affordable electric segment that companies like Tesla are also said to be working on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The world was given a fairly concrete preview of that lineup at EV Day, with the production EV5 that\u2019s set to be made in China and Korea; the compact Concept EV3, about the size of its current Seltos; and the Concept EV4, a kind raised-height sportback sedan not dissimilar to the Polestar 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In particular, the EV5 is \u201ca very important vehicle for Kia,\u201d something that \u201cadds much-needed momentum to the mass popularization of EVs,\u201d said Spencer Cho, head of Kia\u2019s Global Business Planning unit. Part of that will be its price tag, as it\u2019s slated to cost between $35,000 and $50,000 and is sized to compete in a very popular crossover segment. However, it\u2019s still awkwardly unclear if that car is coming to the U.S. or not. But any that do will use Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug soon, and be able to access its vast Supercharger network, which should make living with these EVs quite a bit easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The goal for Kia, Song said, is 1 million EV sales globally by 2026; a huge increase from the approximately 132,000 EVs sold in 2022. That\u2019s ambitious, but there\u2019s also a refreshing degree of realism involved with this plan. Kia wants 37 percent of its global sales to be all-electric by 2030, meaning it will still make internal combustion engine vehicles during that time, especially for the so-called emerging markets like India and South America where it may be tougher to build out charging networks. The plan is for EV adoption to trickle down from China, Korea, the U.S., and other, more developed markets first. And getting EV costs down in those places is going to be a crucial part of this effort.<\/p>\n
If anything, the plan shared by Kia \u2013 which has close ties to what Hyundai and\u00a0the Genesis luxury brand are doing \u2013 feels like a move to keep the Korean automakers ahead of China’s rapid EV expansion into other markets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe believe the key to speeding up the transition to electrification is to make the decision to switch to EVs easier for customers,\u201d Cho added. \u201cOne of the biggest obstacles to purchasing electric vehicles is to their relatively high price compared to beakers with internal combustion engines. In response, we have created a product portfolio that covers a wide range.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That range was something that impressed a lot of people in the automotive industry, including Robby DeGraff, an analyst with the research firm AutoPacific.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the launch of its EV6 (and more recently the all-new Niro EV), Kia has proven itself to be a leader in the industry\u2019s shift towards full electrification,\u201d DeGraff told InsideEVs. They\u2019ve successfully blended together striking, future-thinking styling that\u2019s alluring with all of today\u2019s must-have features and technology, while demonstrating how capable and versatile the E-GMP approach has been for the brand.<\/p>\n
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To make those ambitions come true, Song and his team said, the plan is to build out its production bases all over the world, partnering with other companies and automakers to increase charging access and forming new joint ventures to secure a battery supply chain system that can serve this production network; to get scale up and get costs down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear the EV market is still early adopters,\u201d Song said. \u201cMainstream consumers are being left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n