Kia to launch nine EVs in the UK in the next five years

By Sam Phillips

5 Jan 2022

Kia will launch nine electric cars in the UK in the next five years as part of its bold plans to substantially scale up its electrified range.

The Korean firm has previously announced it will launch 14 new models worldwide by the end of 2027 under its ambition 'Plan S' strategy, with the goal of selling 1.2 million cars per year by 2030.

Kia has now confirmed that the bulk of those models will be offered in the UK, starting with the forthcoming EV9 large SUV that will be revealed in the coming months.

That model is the follow-up to the award-winning Kia EV6, which uses the Hyundai Motor Group's bespoke electric E-GMP platform.

That model helped contribute to a record-breaking year of sales for Kia's UK arm in 2022: the brand sold 100,158 cars during the 12 months. Of that total, 16 per cent – 16,368 cars – were full electric models, led by the Kia Niro EV.

Globally, Kia's Plan S goal to launch 14 EVs by 2027 will mean unveiling around two cars per year.

As well as the EV9, future electric models also include two pick-ups and the first dedicated purpose-built vehicle (PBV) - aimed at improving urban mobility, initially by adapting existing models to meet specific, sometimes niche needs - launching in 2025. The company has set the goal of becoming the number one PBV brand globally.

This is merely the beginning, however. Kia outlined further plans in a new roadmap at an investor event in 2022, with the firm committing itself to becoming a sustainable mobility solutions provider. To reach this goal the firm says it will have an electric model line-up of 14 cars by 2027, which builds on its previous goal to offer 11 EVs in 2025 globally.

Kia is planning for global annual global sales of its electric cars to reach 1.2 million by 2030, a 36 per cent increase on the previous goal set at last year’s investors day. The brand hopes to kick-start this increase by selling 160,000 electric cars this year.

The Korean brand also explained its future plans to accommodate for the rise in sales volume, and hinted at the creation of a European hub that will focus on the production of small and medium-sized EVs from 2025.

New Automode for EV9 and beyond
Alongside its sales targets and new model plans, Kia is working on a new autonomous ‘Automode’ that will first appear on the EV9.

From 2025 all new electric models will feature the new autonomous technology, however full details on the new system have not been revealed. It is likely that the new Automode will be similar to sibling brand Hyundai’s future autonomous vehicles which will have level 3, hands-off driving capabilities.

Commitment to Purpose-built Vehicles (PBV) and battery production
One of the brand’s four main goals was to become the ‘number one global leader’ in the purpose-built vehicle (PBV) market. The purpose of a PBV is to provide specialised vehicles to customers based on specific needs and would be aimed at improving urban mobility for third parties on a smaller scale.

The first purpose-built vehicle will be derived from existing models, with plans to launch a Niro Plus PBV later this year. Kia will then look to introduce a new bespoke platform for its PBVs in 2025.

Beyond its PBV plans the Korean-based brand will scale up its global EV battery production capacity 13GWh to 119GWh by 2030.