It's been five years since Kia (KIMTF) -) attended the CES event in Las Vegas and the Korean carmaker has decided that's long enough.
CES — billed as "the most powerful tech event in the world" — is slated to run Jan. 9-12 in Neon City and over 130,000 people are expected to attend.
Related: Tesla's new luxury rival introduces its first electric SUV
Nearly 300 Fortune Global 500 companies have registered for the trade show, which is scheduled to cover 41 different technical categories.
The keynote speaker? Glad you asked.
Kia will unveil its new purpose-built EVs next month at CES https://t.co/UA5GvCtYSW by @EVPeteJohnson
— Electrek.co (@ElectrekCo) December 14, 2023
Intel (INTC) -) CEO Pat Gelsinger is set to discuss "the critical roles that silicon and software play in making AI more accessible, providing powerful computers and enabling modern economies," according to the event's organizers.
'Platform Beyond Vehicle'
So it's hardly surprising that Kia would pick this monstrous tech gathering to launch its new purpose-built electric vehicles while mapping its plan for the future.
For the record, a PBV, or purpose built vehicles, has a specific purpose of use that involves moving passengers or cargo safety. Kia, however, has decided to redefine that definition to mean "Platform Beyond Vehicle."
The Kia PBV exhibition is set to feature five concept models, including its first PBV scheduled for mass production starting in 2025, a range of Kia-exclusive PBV technology, and a PBV-dedicated presentation and demonstration highlighting the company's software-defined vehicle strategy and plans for partnership integration.
The company's EV exhibition will introduce Kia's vision of "EVs for All" by displaying the EV3 and EV4 concept cars alongside the EV9 and EV6 GT, while showcasing the numerous lifestyle benefits customers can enjoy from Kia's rapidly expanding EV lineup.
The company will showcase technologies like Easy Swap, which helps transform vehicles such as taxis into dedicated delivery products, and Dynamic Hybrid, which assists in the assembly of variously sized vehicle bodies to facilitate low-volume production of a diverse range of models.
Looking to produce more EVs
PBV has been Kia's latest focus. The company has been building a $770 million PBV manufacturing facility in Korea. Production is scheduled to start in December 2024.
Kia plans to produce 150,000 units in the first year at the facility, with the potential to expand “in line with future market conditions.”
The company has said that its goal is to achieve an annual sales target of one million electric vehicles by 2026 and increase it to 1.6 million units per year by 2030.
Earlier this year, Kia said that it planned to add robotaxis to its lineup of PBVs.
Kia America recently reported 58,338 vehicle sales in the U.S. in November, up nearly 3% than a year ago, and the best-ever November.
The company also started customer deliveries of the all-new three-row SUV Kia EV9.
And speaking of PBVs, Rivian (RIVN) -) announced a deal with AT&T (T) -) to purchase the electric vehicle maker's vans and R1 vehicles for its commercial fleet.
Rivian said it still plans to make 100,000 vehicles for Amazon (AMZN) -), and has already delivered 10,000 trucks to the online retailer, which is also a shareholder.
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