Kia To Have 14 BEVs By 2027- e-Pickup Trucks, Entry-Level EV Coming

Kia will launch EV9 (with autonomous driving tech) in 2023, and two electric pickups and an entry-level EV are also in the making

South Korean carmaker Kia has announced its new EV roadmap; the brand will have 14 fully electric vehicles in its global lineup by 2027. The manufacturer has stated that it is targeting 4 million annual global sales by 2030. Over 2 million units of these are estimated to be eco-friendly cars, out of which an estimated 1.2 million units will be fully electric cars.

The new strategy was revealed at the 2022 CEO Investor Day meet, and it is much more aggressive than Kia’s older plan that was revealed last year – 11 fully electric cars by 2026. The three additional models include two electric pickup trucks and an entry-level EV. Pickup trucks are extremely popular in the North American market, so it makes sense for Kia to add them to its future plans.

It should be noted that Hyundai is working on an entry-level EV for the Indian market, expected to arrive in 2024, which will likely make its way to other international markets as well. Kia will utilise this architecture to launch its own entry-level EV, which will likely arrive a little while after Hyundai’s version.

Kia will focus on three key pillars – people, planet, and profit – with the goal of becoming a “sustainable mobility solutions provider”. The automaker plans to invest a total of 28 trillion won (around USD 23.17 billion) over the next five years in its EV business. The South Korean automaker also plans to be a leader in the global PBV (Purpose Built Vehicles) market.

The brand’s first dedicated PBV will be unveiled in 2025, based on a modular skateboard EV platform. In 2022, Kia will launch a PBV version of Niro EV, named Niro Plus – which will be designed mainly for cab-hailing and taxi services.

In 2023, Kia EV9 will go on sale internationally, as the brand’s first vehicle with autonomous driving technology, named AutoMode. This tech will be made available in other models in major international markets by 2026. The EV9 will be a large SUV – around 5 metres in length – with a maximum driving range of around 540 km (336 miles).