Kia aims to sell 1.2 million EV units by 2030

South Korean automobile giant Kia said on Thursday that it was aiming to sell 1.2 million units of electric vehicles (EV) in 2030.

Kia CEO Song Ho-sung also said that it is aiming to have 52% of the car models launched that year to be environmentally friendly.

In terms of total vehicle unit sales, the company was aiming for 4 million units in 2030, Song said.

Kia will aim to launch its latest flagship EV brand EV9 in 2023 and have a total of 14 lineups of EVs by 2027.

According to the CEO, all car models launching starting in 2025 will have over-the-air update features while new car models launching starting in 2026 in advanced economies will have sophisticated autonomous driving feature. 

Kia will also expand in the purpose-built vehicle sector going forward, starting with a one-man van Ray and Niro Plus designed for taxis and mobility services this year.

It will launch models based on a skateboard platform currently in development starting in 2025.

Song said that South Korea will be its hub for research, manufacture and supply of EVs.

Production facilities in Europe, the US, China and India will be used to manufacture markets-specific car models there, the CEO said.

Kia expects it needs 119GWh of batteries in 2030 to meet its EV unit sales target.