While transitioning to becoming a sustainable mobility provider, Kia has announced it will establish an all-new, high-tech smart manufacturing facility dedicated to producing electric Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs). When combined with autonomous driving technology, PBVs are expected to offer a revolutionary new means of transportation.
When operation begins in the second half of 2025, the new PBV facility will build a mid-sized PBV, Kia’s first dedicated PBV model based on Kia’s skateboard platform explicitly developed for PBVs. The new platform can flexibly accommodate various PBV model sizes in response to diverse customer demands. Following the launch of the model codenamed ‘SW’, Kia will diversify into unmanned micro-sized PBVs, general logistics vehicles, fresh food delivery vehicles, multi-seat shuttles, and large PBVs that can be used as mobile offices or retail stores.
Each of Kia’s innovative PBVs will be equipped with Over the Air functionality that can wirelessly update the vehicle’s software in real-time, which offers benefits for the total cost of ownership and ease of use.
The new Kia Niro Plus, which also serves as a derivative PBV in the form of a fully electric taxi in Korea, is currently under consideration for introduction to other markets, including South Africa.
