Kia teases electric van range; first of four to debut in 2025

Kia is aiming to shift its EV strategy into a higher gear. The South Korean auto giant has earmarked a whopping $758 million investment for the new battery electric vehicle production plant in its home country. Besides that, the Hyundai group-owned car brand has also teased a new electric van range that will comprise four different models. While the automaker is aiming to ramp up its EV game in the passenger vehicle segment, in the commercial vehicle segment as well, it aims to grab a larger chunk, and the new electric van range is a part of that strategy.

The new electric van range will comprise four different models, and the first one among them will be rolled out in 2025, said Kia. The car brand has christened the new range of electric vans as purpose-built vehicles and released early sketches giving us glimpses of the design of the upcoming EVs. As the automaker hints, the upcoming EVs will be suitable to be used for various types of body styles and sizes. Kia has internally codenamed this project as SW.

Speaking about the design, if you remember the electric vehicle concepts showcased by Canoo EV startup, the Kia electric vans teased by the automaker, too, appear similar looking. As they have been teased, there would be one large, one small and one midsize electric van. These will include a delivery van and a ride-hailing van. Also, there would be an autonomous driving robotaxi as well. Kia claims that the SW series of electric vans will consist of different-size models meeting the demands of different businesses.

Kia further revealed that the first one will come as a midsize model, while the larger LCV will follow later. The larger EV will have both cargo and passenger-carrying versions. The smaller variant will come with autonomous driving technology.