Kia is on a roll when it comes to electric vehicles. has been hitting the headlines since launch and has been quietly winning fans across the U.S. Parent company in the EV space. Now, Kia has announced its next step towards EV domination: a fleet of adorable electric vans.
This week, Kia announced plans to build a new production facility in South Korea dedicated to producing electric purpose-built vehicles (PBVs) — models that have a “narrow focus” and dedicated features, like and even electric taxis.
Construction on the new factory begins in 2023, with plans to start vehicle production in 2025. Once cars start rolling off the line, with its “first dedicated PBV model.”
According to the teaser images that came with , the future PBVs might include a fleet of lovely little van concepts in varying sizes for varying functions.
When it debuts, the first vehicle to come out of the new factory will be based on , which the firm developed “explicitly” for PBVs. The new platform can be used to create a variety of “model sizes in response to diverse customer demands.”
After that electric vehicle, to build an “unmanned micro-sized PBV” for package or food delivery. This could be followed by a fleet of larger vehicles that could be used as “mobile offices or shops.”
The teaser image above shows the boxy styling we could expect from the utility vehicles.
Available in a range of sizes, the concepts all feature very flat front ends and the angular headlights you’ve come to expect from a good EV concept. The , and that can only be a good thing.
As well as this modernist styling, over-the-air functionality, which would allow Kia to wirelessly update the vehicle’s software in real-time.