Kia just unveiled its updated roadmap for the remainder of the decade and to no one's surprise, electrification is a central theme for its plans through 2030. The South Korean automaker is going all in with its eco-friendly models, which include the company's hybrids and battery electric vehicles.
Kia has grand plans for the latter, announcing during the company's 2022 CEO Investor Day virtual event that it targets to expand its EV lineup to 14 new models by the year 2027. The plan for Kia right now is to launch two new electric vehicles per year starting in 2023.
The announcement caught many by surprise as Kia's previous plan only included 11 new EV models by the year 2026. Kia explained to investors that there will be three additional EVs in the company's future fleet, including an entry-level car model and two electric pickup trucks.
Kia will be launching a dedicated electric pickup truck soon as well as a strategic model for emerging markets. Excitement is already building for the automaker's new release next year with the company set to launch the Kia EV9, its large flagship SUV model.
These new electric models are part of Kia's comprehensive plan to improve its global sales volume to 4 million vehicles annually by the end of the decade. Kia said in its announcement that the roadmap builds on the company's successful 'Plan S' strategy that it first laid out in 2020. Kia added that it reveals further details on how the carmaker will "achieve its vision to become a Sustainable Mobility Solutions Provider."
Kia highlighted its achievements since then, stating that the company has developed into a leading electric vehicle brand globally while also recording its highest ever operating profit and gross revenue last year. According to Kia, the goal now is to carry that momentum into 2022 onwards.
One specific goal that Kia is aiming for is to produce a total volume of 1.2 million electrified vehicles by 2030. Electrified vehicles are comprised of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and pure battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Kia said that it will make the sales of these electrified variants the focus of its future business growth. To make that shift, Kia will increase the proportion of eco-friendly vehicles from 17 percent of global sales in 2022 to 52 percent in 2030.
Kia already has laid out plans to bolster its EV sales in major markets with strong environmental regulations and a growing demand for electric vehicles such as North America, Europe, South Korea, and China. The auto giant aims to increase its proportion of eco-friendly vehicle sales there by up to 78 percent by 2030.
Kia also announced that by the year 2026, all of its new vehicles will have autonomous driving technology, which will likely come under the banner of its new semi-self driving suite called "AutoMode."
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