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Kia starts building a facility for electric purpose-built vehicle production.
With an investment of approximately USD 758 million, Kia plans to secure 99,000 acres of land and start mass production of electric PBVs in the second half of 2025.
Kia Motors Corporation held a groundbreaking ceremony today for its new dedicated plant in Hwaseong, South Korea, which will produce battery-electric purpose-built vehicles (PBVs). The ceremony was attended by more than 200 people, including government officials, executives from Hyundai Motor Group and Kia, and industry insiders.
With an investment of approximately USD 758 million, Kia plans to secure 99,000 acres of land and start mass-production in the second half of 2025. The company aims to produce 150,000 units in the first full year, with the potential to expand according to market conditions.
The new plant will utilize innovative technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and real-time automatic measurement quality data analysis. Kia will automate the painting quality inspection process, the installation of glass, the vehicle name, and the company logo, and will autonomously correct and install the vehicle body in real-time.
Kia’s first model in the dedicated PBV lineup, known as SW, is scheduled to be unveiled in 2025. It will be a mid-sized PBV based on the “eS” platform, a dedicated skateboard platform for battery-electric PBVs that allows for various types of vehicle bodies to be flexibly combined. SW has been developed to meet the needs of various business demands, including delivery, ride-hailing, and business-to-business (B2B) transactions, thanks to its excellent load structure and spacious indoor space.
After launching the mid-sized SW PBV, Kia plans to expand its product lineup to include large-sized PBVs that can be used for logistics, fresh food delivery, multi-seat shuttles, and mobile offices and stores. Additionally, small-sized PBVs and mid-sized robotaxis applied with autonomous driving technology are also planned.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Hyundai Motor Group expressed its ambition to be among the top three electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers in the world by 2030, through the collective sales of Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Genesis electric models.
In addition, the group revealed its intention to substantially increase annual EV production in Korea to 1.51 million units and global volume to 3.64 million units by 2030. This will require a significant investment of KRW 24 trillion (equivalent to approximately USD 18 billion) by Hyundai Motor, Kia, and Hyundai MOBIS, to develop the EV sector within the country.
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