With a new logo and a new plan to shift focus more towards electric mobility, President of Kia Motors shared details of Kia’s Plan S with Automotive News. Recently appointed President of Kia Motors, Ho Sung Song, revealed that the South Korean company is making a huge shift to electric mobility and Plan S is going to take them there. Kia said that the S stands for “shift,” as in a shift “from a business system focused on internal combustion engine vehicles toward one centered on electric vehicles and customized mobility solutions.”
According to Song, the company will invest $25 billion until 2025 in the production of electric cars. In addition to electric cars, the investments will also go towards the production of what he called purpose-built vehicles or “PBVs”, such as robotaxis and autonomous delivery vehicles. Song wants the brand to be “more dynamic, stylish, and inventive.”
Kia has plans to offer 11 electric vehicles by 2025 and 7 all-electric vehicles by 2027. Song said he needs to shift “our business into the future” by selling 500,000 BEVs by 2026 and 500,000 PHEVs and hybrids by the same year. By 2029, a full quarter of Kia’s sales will be from EVs. Although autonomous-vehicle technology is hardly close to production, Song wants the brand to have a stronger focus on electric vehicles.
According to Song, the price for electric and internal combustion cars will be about the same by 2025 if you include the total cost of ownership, as ICEs require more maintenance, and fuel costs are projected to rise.