Kia unveiled a series of planned electric vehicle concepts at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday, becoming the latest automaker to enter the highly competitive market.
Electric vehicles have become a big business as Americans get used to hauling more stuff and automakers and their fleet companies look for ways to reduce emissions.
Rivian already makes electric vehicles for its biggest customer, Amazon, and recently announced that it will also sell the vehicles to other businesses. Ford sells the E-Transit, and GM has a subsidiary, Brightdrop, that sells its own electric vehicle. Stellantis, the parent company of Ram trucks, will begin selling the Ram Promaster EV electric vehicle. Kia currently offers small family vehicles, such as the Kia Carnival, as well as electric cars and SUVs.
But commercial trucks are different. While some can be configured to carry passengers, they can also be used to carry cargo such as packages. It is also used by workers such as plumbers and contractors to carry tools to work sites. It should be flexible enough to adapt to different business needs, something Kia emphasizes in its vehicles.
Among the three concept vehicles presented by the Korean automaker is a mid-size vehicle called the PV5. (Kia doesn’t call this car a wagon, but it fits the description because of its squared-off shape and sliding doors.) This version was the first car to be sold, and it was a very capable car at high speed. for various uses during the working day.
On the PV5, behind the front “driver’s compartment” that houses the driver’s seat and controls, there is a separate body part that can be removed and the vehicle can be converted into a passenger car. at night change to a private vehicle. Truck work during the day.
Kia also launched a larger vehicle (called the PV7) and a smaller vehicle (PV1) designed for mobility in urban environments. The PV7 is like a supercar in that it carries a lot of cargo and has multiple rows of seats. The PV1 is more like a minivan used in situations where you don’t need a lot of cargo space but control and ease of parking are important. The more sensible and smaller vehicles are both not as simple and easy as the PV5. They still have internal components that can be quickly changed according to different uses, but without changing the entire body, like the PV5.
A video from the company shows the four-wheeled vehicle capable of maneuvering in tight spaces. Kia has also announced plans to make its trucks self-driving.
But this car was presented as a concept, so these features – along with replaceable body parts and more – will make it to the final production version. Once production begins, Kia trucks will be manufactured at a designated plant in South Korea with a production capacity of 150,000 trucks per year, according to the company.
Kia will also provide a fleet management system and customer support team to its commercial customers in the future, the company said. This is similar to the management and support systems that Ford and General Motors offer to their major vehicle customers.
Kia did not release pricing for the vehicle or specific details on when it will be available to customers.
