[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] Kia, which changed its name for the first time in 31 years, plans to introduce the 'Alphanumeric' system (a method of naming cars by combining brand and numbers) and launch seven new dedicated electric vehicles by 2027.
On the 15th, Karim Habib, Head of Kia Design Center, said through an online brand showcase, "The new Kia electric vehicles will be named 'EV1~EV9,'" adding, "Our goal is to design physical experiences and create electric vehicles that excite the heart."
Typically, the alphanumeric system adds numbers to the brand name to indicate the vehicle class, such as 'Ioniq 5, 6, 7' or 'K3, 5, 7.' Therefore, some speculate that Kia will launch a dedicated electric vehicle brand like Hyundai Motor Company's Ioniq and name the models by adding numbers.
Kia has already introduced the alphanumeric system in its sedan models with the 'K series,' releasing 'K3, 5, 7, 9.' Genesis also applied the same method with 'G70, 80, 90,' etc. Hyundai Motor Company's dedicated electric vehicle brand Ioniq plans to assign even numbers to sedans and odd numbers to sport utility vehicles (SUVs) for naming.
Kia held the 'New Kia Brand Showcase' on the 15th through its global brand website. The lineup of electric vehicles and PBV products unveiled by Kia on this day / Photo by Kia
The alphanumeric system is widely used in the global automotive industry. Instead of giving each model a separate name and marketing individually, companies promote the entire brand to provide consistency and enhance brand value.
BMW has long named its vehicles sequentially from 1 Series to 8 Series according to class, making it easy to identify the class and powertrain at a glance, such as '520d' (5 Series diesel sedan) and '330e' (3 Series plug-in hybrid sedan).
Audi applies the letter 'A' with numbers according to class for sedans and uses 'Q + number' for SUVs. Mercedes-Benz distinguishes model names by class using letters (A, B, C, E, S), and Volkswagen announced plans to adopt alphanumeric naming for its electric vehicle brand, naming the first pure electric vehicle ID.3 and the next electric SUV ID.4.
Industry experts view Kia's adoption of the alphanumeric system as a decision to strengthen its global brand strategy. The strategy aims to unify the names of the seven dedicated electric vehicles to be released sequentially by 2027 and promote the entire dedicated electric vehicle brand rather than individual models.
Kia will realize this strategy with its first dedicated brand electric vehicle, the 'CV,' to be launched this year. The CV, to be unveiled in crossover form in the first quarter, applies Hyundai Motor Group's dedicated electric vehicle platform 'E-GMP' and features a driving range of 500 km on a single charge and a high-speed charging system capable of charging within 20 minutes.
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