Kia's PBV concepts expand commercial possibilities

Kia's entry into the light commercial vehicle market, launched at CES in Las Vegas, provided an overview of the potential range, from last-mile delivery vehicles to medium cargo vans. Kia's Platform Beyond Vehicles (PBVs) will enter production with the PV5 in 2025 at a new PBV-dedicated plant in Hwaseong, Korea. The larger PV7 will follow between 2027 and 2032.

PV5, similar in size to the Ford Transit Connect, was always going to be the first of the range to enter production, according to executive vice president and head of Kia Global Design, Karim Habib. Design plans include a van, a high-roof van and a robot taxi. “The primary purpose was a business-to-business vehicle,” says Habib.” The business-to-customer side was definitely not very high on the list at the beginning. It came in more and more as the product took shape and as we saw the potential for it, but the business-to-business side was definitely the most important, whether it's ride-hailing or delivery logistics.