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KIA has dumped the word “Motors” from its name as it expands its business in electric vehicles and mobility services.

The name of the South Korean parent becomes Kia Corporation – Kia Australia Pty Ltd for locals – from Kia Motors Corporation and follows the launch earlier this year of a new stylised logo and a new slogan “Movement that Inspires”.

Kia CEO Ho Sung Song said in a statement that changing the corporate name and logo was not only a cosmetic improvement.

“It represents us expanding our horizons and establishing new and emerging businesses that meet and exceed the diverse needs of our customers worldwide,” he said.

Kia said the new direction points to a rapid expansion of EVs through 2025 and into what it calls PBVs (purpose-built vehicles) which are vehicles designed for mobility businesses such as ride-hailing, robotaxis and on-the-go e-commerce.

EV6

PBVs use a skateboard chassis and integrated drivetrain that accepts a range of body styles depending on the task.

Kia is also expanding into businesses that include mobility hubs that use robotaxis and on-demand roboshuttles. It already has partnerships with companies such as Grab, the South-East Asian ride-hailing service, and WiBLE, a car-sharing venture in Spain.

Kia has said that its “Plan S” mid-term business plan involves an EV range of 11 models by 2025, with seven EV-only products by 2027.

It stated it wants to have 6.6 per cent of the global battery-electric vehicle market by 2025, global annual sales of 500,000 EVs by 2026 and generate 20 per cent of its worldwide sales by 2025 and a quarter in 2029.

Its first dedicated EV to be launched in selected markets next month will be the EV6, built on a new Electric-Global Modular Platform, or E-GMP, shared with Hyundai’s Ioniq 5.

The EV6, to be launched in Australia in the fourth quarter of this year, is the first to wear Kia’s new logo.

By Neil Dowling

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