Kia PBVs

Kia Motors has started building a dedicated plant for the production of battery-electric Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs) that will have an annual capacity of 150,000 units. Here are some key details about the new facility:

  • The plant will adopt a flexible production process and smart innovations like the efficient 'cell method' manufacturing.
  • Kia plans to start mass-production in the second half of 2025 and produce 150,000 units in the first year.
  • The plant will be built as an eco-friendly facility that minimizes carbon emissions while using future innovative manufacturing technologies.
  • It will also incorporate Hyundai Motor and Kia's smart factory brand, E-FOREST technologies, to enhance efficiency and intelligence.

The new PBV plant will implement the 'cell method,' a process layout strategy that groups together machines or workstations used to produce similar products or parts. By unifying the new cell method with the original mass-production conveyor system, the plant can achieve flexible production with more customization of various product types. The facility will also operate as a low-carbon factory by using a dry booth during the painting process and reducing carbon emissions by about 20% compared to existing factories.

Kia plans to unveil the first model of its dedicated PBV lineup, SW (project name), in 2025. This mid-sized PBV will be based on the "eS" platform, a dedicated skateboard platform for battery-electric PBVs that allows for the flexible combination of various vehicle bodies. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group aims to become one of the top three EV manufacturers globally by 2030, significantly expand annual EV production in Korea to 1.51 million units, and achieve a global volume of 3.64 million units by 2030.

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