Kia revealed a series of ambitious new targets up to 2030 during its 2022 CEO Investor Day yesterday. During the virtual event, the South Korean carmaker said it planned to reach annual sales of four million vehicles within the next eight years. That’s an increase of nearly 44% over the 2.78 million units it sold last year and 27% over its 2022 target of 3.15 million.
Those additional new vehicles are an entry-level EV and two pick-ups. The latter will include a dedicated electric truck that will probably take the fight to the, which is set to go on sale next year. Measuring around five metres long, this big electric SUV is nevertheless tipped to get from zero to 100 km/h in just five seconds and have a range of around 540 km. Its 350 kW fast charging capability will also apparently provide an extra 100 km of range with only six minutes of charging.
Kia aims to gradually bump up sales of its EVs, starting with 160,000 units this year, then 807,000 in 2026. The eventual target of 1.2 million EVs is 36% up on the target announced during last year’s event. It is projected that 80% of EV sales will come from Korea, North America, Europe and China – areas that are expected to see EVs take up a 45% share of total Kia sales.
Additionally, Kia is making a big push in the electric purpose-built vehicle for the commercial market, which has experienced a boom as deliveries and logistics increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the short term, the company will introduce a Niro Plus for taxi and ride-hailing services later this year.