Kia is coming off a strong year for it passenger EVs sharing what he wants to do for businesses looking to go electric. The Korean automaker has just revealed at CES 2024 an upcoming lineup of electric vans, trucks, transport and last-mile delivery vehicles, all set to be built on a new modular platform.
And it looks like he already has his first customer. The company announced during Monday’s press conference that it has formed a global partnership with Uber, according to Pierre-Martin Bos, vice president of Kia’s new so-called PVB business unit.
Not only will the underlying electric drivetrain be modular—similar to other skateboard-style designs that have become popular throughout the industry—but the tops of these vehicles will be as well. What it looks like in practice, according to Kia, are vehicles with fixed driver’s cabs that can replace the rest of the vehicle’s cabin.
The Kia PBV Concept series. Image Credits: Kia
These cabins (Kia calls them “life modules”) are attached to the chassis using mechanical linkages and electromagnets, although Kia has been tight-lipped about the details of how it will work.
Kia did not comment on specifications, but said it is building a dedicated plant to make them in South Korea that it claims will be operational by 2025. Kia expects an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles, but said that could rise to 300,000 worldwide.
Image Credits: Kirsten Korosech
The first model to be built will be the Kia PV5, a three-row van with futuristic styling that is expected to hit the roads in 2025 with a price tag of around $35,000. Kia also showed renderings of a larger version (the PV7) due in 2027 and a smaller, smarter car-size option (the PV1). The company shared that it plans a robotaxi version to launch in 2028, and that vehicles built on the platform may eventually be available to regular consumers.
The appearance of the vehicles is quite sharp and utilitarian. None of them are as adorable as the sister gang Hyundai’s head-turning Staria van. Design-wise, they don’t look all that similar to what Canoo has spent the last few years promising to deliver on a large scale. Hyundai and Canoo were once involved in a partnership that was abruptly canceled by the CEO of the EV startup, who vague allusions at the time regarding the protection of his company’s IP.
This post has been updated with details from the Kia CES 2024 press conference.
