'Kia Motors → Kia' Name Change After 31 Years
New Slogan Unveiled... Focus on Mobility and Movement
"Seven Dedicated Electric Vehicles by 2027" Plan S Kicks Off
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Kia Motors is changing its company name to ‘Kia’ and embarking on a new start. The company aims to expand its business scope from the existing manufacturing-centered business model to mobility products and services. Along with the name change, Kia will accelerate the implementation of its mid- to long-term strategy ‘Plan S’ and plans to unveil its first dedicated electric vehicle (project name CV) featuring the new logo in the first quarter.
On the 15th, Kia held the ‘New Kia Brand Showcase’ via YouTube and its global brand website, announcing its new brand direction and future strategy to provide sustainable mobility solutions. Notably, through this event, Kia plans to remove ‘Motors’ from its existing name ‘Kia Motors’ to expand its business scope.
Kia President Song Ho-sung said, “From this very moment, when we introduced a new brand direction and strategy for the future, Kia’s transformation to provide sustainable mobility solutions to customers and various social communities has begun.”
Kia’s New Slogan 'Movement that inspires'
At the showcase, Kia unveiled its new brand slogan ‘Movement that inspires’ and revealed a new brand direction aimed at inspiring customers. The new brand direction focuses on the idea that movement and mobility are the origins of human evolution. Kia has set the goal of making diverse mobility options the essence of its brand and delivering inspiration and comfort to customers’ lives through innovative products and services.
Arthur Martins, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Customer Experience Division, said, “Movement and mobility have enabled humanity’s continuous progress, development, and evolution, inspiring new ideas. Connecting people through mobility is the essence of the Kia brand and a milestone for our business direction, and we will further expand this area going forward.”
Having led the mobility industry for over 75 years, Kia has transformed its brand direction to meet customers’ demands for more flexible, eco-friendly, and integrated mobility experiences. Based on the new brand direction and strategy, Kia plans to meet evolving customer expectations by expanding eco-friendly products and services and positively influencing the mobility experience.
Kia’s ‘Plan S’ Fully Launched… Seven Dedicated Electric Vehicles to be Released by 2027
Along with the changed company name, Kia announced the full launch of its mid- to long-term business strategy ‘Plan S,’ which was unveiled early last year. Plan S is a strategy to expand business into ▲electric vehicles ▲mobility solutions ▲mobility services ▲purpose-built vehicles (PBV) to secure a leading position in the future mobility industry.
First, Kia will accelerate the popularization of electric vehicles by introducing seven new dedicated electric vehicle lineups by 2027. The new products will include a diverse lineup ranging from passenger cars to sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs). All vehicle classes will be equipped with Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicle platform E-GMP, featuring long-distance driving capability and fast-charging technology.
Kia’s first dedicated electric vehicle (project name CV) is scheduled to be unveiled in the first quarter of this year. Based on E-GMP technology, the dedicated EV offers a driving range of over 500 km and a fast-charging system that takes less than 20 minutes, featuring a crossover-style design. The CV will be revealed with Kia’s new logo applied.
Kia is also developing various PBVs for corporate customers. PBVs are modular bodies built on a highly flexible skateboard platform tailored to meet diverse corporate customer needs. Based on partnerships with Canoo, Arrival, and others, Kia plans to apply various bodies on an integrated modular platform to adjust functions according to users’ specific purposes. PBV demand is expected to increase fivefold by 2030 due to the rapid growth of e-commerce and car-sharing services. Kia plans to introduce PBVs suited for shared service vehicles, low-floor logistics vehicles, delivery vehicles, and other corporate and individual customer needs.
Furthermore, Kia is improving its work methods and culture. President Song said, “The change in the Kia brand is not simply about changing the company’s name and logo design but represents a determination to open new horizons by expanding into new business areas to meet the diverse demands of customers worldwide. To achieve this, all Kia employees must establish an autonomous and flexible work environment and a creative organizational culture befitting the new brand.”
Providing Eco-Friendly Mobility Services… Accelerating Business Diversification
Through Plan S, Kia is seeking business diversification by providing eco-friendly mobility services centered on electrification and autonomous driving technologies. To this end, Kia is strengthening collaboration and partnerships with global mobility solution companies and developing various mobility services. Earlier, in 2019, Kia invested in Ola, which provides various mobility services in India, and in 2018, invested in Grab, Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing service provider as well as a food delivery and payment solution company.
In Madrid, Kia offers a car-sharing service called WiBLE in collaboration with Spanish energy company Repsol. Established in September 2018, WiBLE operates about 500 Niro plug-in hybrid vehicles using a free-floating system that allows users to freely rent and return vehicles within the service area. WiBLE has approximately 130,000 members.
Last September, Kia accelerated its transition to a mobility solution provider by launching a new service called Kia Mobility across Italy and Russia. Kia Mobility is a rental service that allows customers to rent vehicles owned by dealers for periods ranging from one day to one year. Kia has developed and provides a vehicle management platform directly to dealers. Kia plans to expand this service to various countries in the future.
Meanwhile, Kia plans to hold an event at the end of this month to explain its new design philosophy and the design direction of future products.
Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Design Center, said, “Kia will strive to make customers’ lives more convenient and enriched by offering products that provide experiences faithful to customers’ instincts and intuition. We will design more original and progressive electric vehicles that allow customers to tangibly feel the brand, aligned with an intuitive dedicated EV naming system.”
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