Kia has unveiled an ambitious new plan to ready itself for the future. Know as Plan S, the Korean manufacturer` is launching a $25billion plan to have at least eleven EVs on the market by 2025. This plan (the S stands for Shift) includes the goal of having electric vehicles count for 20% of the company’s worldwide sales within that same timeframe,
The new EVs will all ride on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) that they share with Hyundai. That platform utilizes an 800-volt battery and will offer a 280-ish mile range. Ho Sung Song, Kia’s Global CEO, says the focus will be on making the brand “more dynamic, stylish, and inventive.”
He continues: “We have to prepare ourselves with advanced countermeasures for all these, We will try to set up our new customer target together with our brand relaunch.”
Having the same platform underpin all eleven vehicles will help make this a reality. Volvo, Volkswagen and others have all shown how this approach works. It allows for more efficient integration and parts sharing, while still offering different vehicles and driving experiences.
Kia Will Offer 11 EVs by 2025
Along with the new powertrain, Kia’s also going to be updating its logo. The current one, existing since the brand launched, will be retired in favor of something markedly different. Going for a hyper-modern style, the new logo will soon exist in my preferred category of what people in the past thought the future would look like (see GMC.)
It’s a bold, but not surprising, move for a company that keeps pushing itself forward. With Genesis taking legitimate swings at the luxury market and Hyundai firmly integrating them into family driveways, Kia hasn’t been shy about carving out its own space. Simply brand-engineering their siblings’ vehicles isn’t going to cut it and they seem to be aware of that.
