Tag: Kia Motors

Kia Motors reveals its electrification plans!

Kia Motors Corporation has shared a glimpse of its global electric vehicle (EV) business strategy today, revealing an early sketch of several of the brand’s future dedicated Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Details of Kia’s future EV product strategy were announced by Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song during an event at the brand’s Hwasung plant in Korea.

Kia will establish a leadership position in the global EV market by responding to fast-growing global consumer demand for EVs. The brand will launch a diverse range of dedicated BEVs and partner with EV charging companies worldwide to achieve this.

“Kia has sold more than 100,000 BEVs worldwide since the introduction of our first mass-produced BEV in 2011, the Kia Ray EV, ” said CEO Song. “Since then, we have started to introduce a range of new BEVs for global markets and announced plans to accelerate this process in the years ahead. By refocusing our business on electrification, we are aiming for BEVs to account for 25 percent of our total worldwide sales by 2029.”

Under Kia’s ‘Plan S’ strategy, announced at the start of 2020, the brand plans to expand its BEV line-up to 11 models by 2025. Over the same period, Kia is aiming for BEVs to account for 20 percent of the brand’s total vehicle sales in advanced markets, including Korea, North America, and Europe. Seven dedicated BEVs in the sketch revealed today will be launched by 2027.

The first of these BEVs, code-named CV, will be revealed in 2021 as the brand’s first dedicated BEV, destined for many regions globally. The new model will offer the same competitive product quality and eye-catching design as Kia’s other vehicles, with high-performance driving and recharging characteristics.

Kia Motors is undergoing a company-wide transformation in order to realize ‘Plan S’. The CV model, due to launch in 2021, will encapsulate the brand’s attitude towards innovation and change, presenting a new design direction that signifies Kia’s transition to an EV-focused business strategy. Kia’s new design philosophy embraces progress, diversity, and a rich composition of contrasting elements.

Kia is innovating its vehicle planning, development, and production to actively reflect diverse customer needs from the product planning stage. Kia is planning to respond to market demands by offering diversified product types, with a range of models suitable for urban centers, long-range journeys, and performance driving. Furthermore, by adapting its new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), Kia will be able to offer vehicles with best-in-class interior spaciousness.

Kia Motors is also seeking to innovate its sales practices for EVs. The brand is exploring the creation of subscription services to offer a diversified buying option for customers, as well as EV battery leasing and rental programs, and other ‘second-life’ battery-related businesses.

What to expect from the upcoming Kia Sonet?

Korean carmaker Kia is set to launch its latest offering, the Sonet on August 7, in India. With its official rendering in July, the design is expected to set new benchmarks and inject a new dynamism in the compact SUV segment. This is the third product from the Hyundai-owned company in India and will compete with the Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford Ecosport, Mahindra XUV300 and Renault Duster.  

The Auto Expo 2020 withholds the memory of the first look of the Sonet concept and hasn’t left the minds of young and aspirational Indians since then. The striking and curvaceous exterior highlights the brand’s dynamic DNA which has been merged with the emotive and bold design to create a strong on-road appearance. 

 “With the new Kia Sonet, we had the ambition to give this compact SUV a strong and muscular character found only in much larger vehicles. With this in mind, we have designed what we believe is a great SUV with a uniquely sporty attitude, a confident stance and a dynamic silhouette. We also gave the new Kia Sonet an uncompromising attention to detail and a selection of colors and materials that could have only be inspired by the great cultural heritage that our designers found all over India,” said Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Design Center at Kia Motors Corporation. “As a whole we believe the new Kia Sonet will be a fantastic SUV with a very compelling and attaching character to our young and young at heart, always connected customers in India and beyond…” 

Of course, Kia would be incomplete with its signature structures: the tiger-nose grille with a three-dimensional ‘stepwell’ geometric grille mesh giving a pinched profile in the middle. The central air dam should be bounded by fog lamps and large air vents. The sleek headlights fused with LED DRLs merged into the grille, if given, will complete its classic look. The contrast-colored roof, the wing mirrors and the pair of roof rails should provide a unique look to the Sonet, along with dual-tone alloy wheels and the tapered rear windscreen.

Analogous to Seltos, the Sonet too is expected to be available in both Tech line and GT line variants. GT line variant is expected to come in black interiors along with red contrast highlights. On the other hand, the Tech line is expected to get dual-black tone and beige interiors. 

The powertrains are expected to be similar to the Hyundai Venue such as 1.2-litre petrol engine with 5-speed manual transmission, a 1.5-litre 100bhp diesel engine and a 1.0-litre GDi turbo-petrol engine. The transmission choices could vary between manual and intelligent manual transmission (iMT) gearbox, which is essentially a clutchless manual gearbox, as well as an automatic option — recently introduced in the Hyundai Venue.  

One can also expect the Sonet to have interesting features like wireless phone charging, ventilated seats, automatic climate control, a sunroof, keyless entry and a premium sound system. The Sonet might be first in its segment to offer a 360-degree camera. The compact SUV should be installed with excellent safety features like rear parking camera and sensors, 6 airbags, electronic stability control, vehicle stability management, and tyre pressure monitoring system —like the Hyundai Venue. It is expected to launch with the price tag of Rs 8-13 lakhs (ex-showroom).

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