Kia will produce electric vans in a new dedicated factory

The world of electric commercial vans has not finished talking about it. While GM offers the BrightDrop Zevo 600 and Rivian will produce 100,000 units of its van for Amazon, Kia announces that it will build a factory dedicated to electric vans of all sizes. This plant will notably see the birth of the manufacturer’s first electric van in 2025.

Located in South Korea, this new plant will be able to assemble 100,000 vehicles initially before production capacity ramps up to eventually reach 150,000 vehicles per year. According to the manufacturer, this capacity will be reached as the market for electric commercial vans grows. This plant employs the E-Forest concept, which underpins the production ecosystem, aiming to promote ergonomics and interoperability of the assembly process.

This announcement is part of Kia’s “Plan S”, which aims to make the South Korean brand the best-selling commercial van by 2030. This is a new market that will be explored further. at first locally, but which is expected to be deployed throughout the world in subsequent years.

A first vehicle

The first vehicle that aims to be built by Kia is a mid-size commercial van tentatively named SW. It will be based on the “eS” architecture, which looks like a modular skateboard that can accept a variety of different bodies. Moreover, it will serve as a basis for other larger but also smaller models in the future. These new models will all be assembled at the manufacturer’s new factory.

All of these vehicles will be equipped with automatic updates via the Internet, reducing the need to go to the garage and improving vehicle productivity. In addition, driver assistance systems will be integrated as standard, which will improve the safety rating and ease of use.

There is no information to conclude that these electric vehicles will be offered in Canada, but we remain on the lookout.