Kia Outlines Seven-Year Plan to Introduce Seven Dedicated EVs

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Nearly every automaker that sells cars has some kind of massive plan to shift its focus to electric vehicles. With tightening fuel and emissions regulations, automakers simply don't have a choice, but to divert funds and resources to electric vehicles. While Hyundai recently announced that it will nestle all of its electric vehicles neatly under a new IONIQ brand, Kia's plans are a little more scattered. The South Korean automaker recently announced that the next seven years will be a busy time for the automaker as it focuses on coming out with new electric cars.


More EVs Coming From Kia


Kia Motors' president and CEO, Ho Sung Song, has a simple aim for Kia's electric plan – he wants the automaker's electric vehicles to account for 25 percent of its total worldwide sales by 2029. The automaker claims that it has sold 100,000 battery-powered electric vehicles since 2011 and is looking to accelerate the process of introducing new electric vehicles over the next seven years.


As part of Kia's "Plan S" strategy, which the automaker officially announced at the beginning of 2020, the brand wants to expand its battery-powered lineup to include a total of 11 models by 2025. Seven battery-powered electric vehicles, which Kia released a sketch of, will come out by 2027.


The first electric vehicle under the plan will be introduced in 2021. Currently, the EV is code-named CV and has the very important job of being the automaker's first dedicated battery-powered electric vehicle. Kia doesn't provide a lot of information on what we can expect from the CV, but claims that the EV will "offer the same competitive product quality and eye-catching design as Kia's other vehicles." The electric car will also feature high-performance driving and recharging capabilities.


Kia Adding More Global Chargers


Beyond the physical electric cars, Kia also wants to become a leader in the global EV market. It plans to do this by working with EV charging companies around the world to increase the number of available charging stations. This isn't out of the ordinary for automakers, as a few have partnered with EV charging companies, like Electrify America and EVgo, to bring more charging stations to consumers.


Furthermore, Kia's looking to pivot from a traditional automaker to one that's more innovative. So, the South Korean brand is also looking into introducing a subscription service to give customers more purchasing options. Beyond the subscription service, consumers will be able to lease electric vehicles and rent them, as well.


At the moment, Kia's short on electric vehicles. The automaker only offers one fully electric vehicle with the Niro EV. The subcompact SUV has a range of 239 miles, can be charged using a DC fast charger, and is priced reasonably. It may not have the same appeal as the Tesla Model Y, but for the majority of consumers, the Niro EV is an excellent option. Kia was supposed to come out with the Soul EV in 2019, but the vehicle has been delayed until 2021.


While it's good to hear that Kia is looking into coming out with more EVs, the automaker didn't confirm how many of these will come to the United States. We expect that many will, but a few, especially the smaller ones with less range than 250 miles, probably won't

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods