Tag Archives: Kia

Kia Helps Take on Oceanic Garbage

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There’s a whole lot of plastic pollution in the Pacific. Kia is supporting its removal. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

(Image: Kia)

That, of course, is a ship. An ocean-going ship. Specifically, the System 03. It is operated by The Ocean Cleanup.

It is here because it is supported by Kia.

The System 03, in the photo, is sailing in to the Port of San Francisco.

Its predecessor, the System 01, went on its maiden voyage from San Francisco six years ago.

Both ships didn’t travel on some sort of cruise where there are endless cocktails, second-tier entertainment, vast quantities of food, and people suffering everything from sun stroke to mal de mer.

It didn’t sail to some exotic private island.

Rather, they traveled to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP).

Which is a floating accumulation of mainly plastic debris.

This isn’t some simple eye sore.

It has a surface area estimated to measure 1.6 million square kilometers.

That’s twice the size of Texas. (Or for recent Olympic fans: three times the size of France.)

While some people might think that that is nothing more than a proverbial spit in the ocean, the Pacific measures 165.3 million kilometers, so that 1.6 million, while a small percentage, is still sizably not good.

The Ocean Cleanup ships have conducted 23 trips and more than 100 plastic extractions.

This has resulted in the removal of more than a million pounds of plastics (and presumably whatever gets snagged in it).

That’s 0.5% of the floating pollution removed.

Which means 99.5% by mass of the massive floating trash-berg.

Kia is not only being a good global citizen with this support. It is also being one by targeting 20% of the plastics in its vehicles being from recycled sources by 2030.

(Yes, it is using recycled plastics now, for things including carpet and seat fabrics.)

EV Sales Elsewhere

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Seems like the EV slowdown is happening elsewhere, too

By Gary S. Vasilash

The South Korean-based brands—Hyundai, Kia and Genesis—are producing some of the most-appealing electric vehicles available in the U.S. market.

Award-winning Kia EV9 (Image:Kia)

Consider, for example: for the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 was one of the three finalists in the Car category. The Genesis Electrified GV70, Hyundai Kona/Kona EV, and Kia EV9 were the three finalists; the EV9 received the award.

And, of course, these products (and others, too) are available to Korean consumers.

GlobalData has run numbers for how well electric vehicles are doing in the home market of those companies, and finds that through April 2024, zero-emissions vehicle sales in Korea, 97% of which are EVs and the balance fuel-cell vehicles, are down 17% compared with April 2023.

Meanwhile, hybrids (including plug-ins) are up by some 45%.

Why are EVs not doing so well? GlobalData suggests:

  • Early adopters have gotten them. The majority isn’t buying yet.
  • And on the subject of buying, there is the comparative higher costs of EVs.
  • Charging is a concern.
  • Residual value decreases make an EV purchase less appealing.

GlobalData points out that while there had been dismissiveness expressed by some pundits regarding hybrids as being a bridging technology between internal combustion engine vehicles and EVs, the numbers are showing that that is indeed the case.

The good news for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis is that they offer compelling hybrid products as part of their global portfolios, too.

Kia Going Big

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By Gary S. Vasilash

While some people may continue to associate Kia with small(ish) vehicles—sedans and CUVs—the company has not only transformed itself into a leader when it comes to styling, but it has increased the size of what it has on offer.

An excellent example of this change is its EV9, which is not merely an electric vehicle, but a three-row EV. While you can find three-row crossovers at your local Ford (Explorer) and Chevy (Traverse), you can’t find a model with an electric propulsion system.

(And it is worth noting that the EV9, in its debut year, bested an array of other crossovers to be named the North American Utility Vehicle of the Year by NACTOY, no small feat.)

Kia PV5 in a ride-hailing configuration. (Image: Kia)

But even those who are familiar with the Kia lineup were undoubtedly taken by surprise at this year’s CES when the company introduced its “Platform Beyond Vehicle” (PBV) strategy, which is predicated on purpose-built EVs that are essentially commercial vehicles. (Which explains why it is showing off two of its PBV concepts—the PV5 and the PV7—at the Work Truck Week event that is occurring this week in Indianapolis.)

While commercial vehicles of the configuration of the Kias are common (though the styling of the Kias are uncommon), what’s interesting is that the company is proposing that there is a driver’s fixed cab on a platform and behind it a flat surface upon which upper bodies can be attached, depending on the use case.

Again, putting different boxes on the back of truck chassis is common, but Kia is proposing the “life modules” are attached with hybrid electromagnetic and mechanical coupling such that they can be readily replaced to take on different tasks.

Steve Center, COO and EVP of Kia America, said of the PBV approach: “Kia’s exciting foray into this important segment of the overall industry represents our steadfast commitment to the electrification of transportation and aligns perfectly with our Plan S strategy to become a global leader in sustainable mobility.”

Mobility that goes beyond moving people.

While still concepts, the company says the PV5 could hit the U.S. market in 2026.

Watch this brand.

2024 NACTOY Winners Examined

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By Gary S. Vasilash

This morning the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) awards were announced.

And with no further ado. . .

  • North American Car of the Year: Toyota Prius & Prius Prime
  • North American Truck of the Year: Ford Super Duty
  • North American Utility Vehicle of the Year: Kia EV9
Kia EV9: 2024 NACTOY Utility of the Year. In 2023 Kia also took that NACTOY category with the EV6. Seems that company really has it going on with electric utes. (Image: Kia)

To look at this a more closely:

The Car category also included the Hyundai IONIQ 6 EV and the Honda Accord. Several people whom I’ve talked with (full disclosure: I am one of the 50 jurors for the awards) thought it would more likely be the Accord than the Prius.

While all three are excellent cars, the transformation of the Prius from something that was somewhat awkward to an object of desire (with really good gas mileage) undoubtedly pushed it over the top.

In trucks, the Ford Super Duty was up against the Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup and the Chevrolet Silverado EV. The NACTOY awards are consumer-centric, not commercial-centric. Which led me to wonder about the Super Duty being a finalist. Then two things happened:

  1. I talked with Detroit Free Press car reviewer Mark Phelan (also a juror) who pointed out that plenty of people buy Super Duty trucks as daily drivers
  2. I spent time behind the wheel of a Super Duty and discovered that in terms of the tech and the amenities it gave nothing up compared with cars or utilities

That the Silverado EV didn’t take the trophy probably surprised some people at GM HQ because this is their Ultium-based offering in the full-size truck segment and it betters the specs of the Ford F-150 Lightning, the EV pickup that won the NACTOY award in 2023. Perhaps the $74,800 price for a work truck kept Chevy from winning.

And in utilities, the finalists that the Kia EV9 faced were the Genesis Electrified GV70 and the Hyundai Kona/Kona EV. In mid-November when the finalists were announced the Kona wasn’t on the list and the Volvo EX30, a small electric crossover, was. But Volvo had to pull the vehicle from consideration because it wasn’t going to have vehicles in-market before the end of 2023.

Two things about the utility situation:

  1. Kia also won the category last year with the EV6
  2. As Genesis is a sibling company with Hyundai and Kia, it is clear that the three companies have remarkable capabilities in the utility space—including the electric utility space

And that second point raises another consideration:

The traditional domestics had the Truck category. But nothing in the other two categories.

Is that a model for long-term success?

Free Gas

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By Gary S. Vasilash

Back in 2005, when gas prices were rising, some OEMs, as well as local dealers, offered consumers pre-paid gas cars. Mitsubishi, for example, depending on model, provided $1,500 to $2,500 for a vehicle purchase.

What’s interesting is that 2005 wasn’t really all that bad a year gas-price-wise.

That is, in 2002, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gas averaged at $1.38 a gallon. It was something of a steady climb to $3.29 a gallon in 2008. The average price in 2005 was $2.31.

Today Kia America and Electrify America announced that buyers of the Kia EV6 electric SUV will get 1,000 kilowatt-hours of free charging at Electrify America stations.

In a clearer context: that’s enough energy to drive from 3,500 to 4,000 miles. Depending on the model. And the comparative heaviness of one’s right foot.

While that is certainly a nice bonus, it is puzzling that when there are vehicles ostensibly as good as the EV6 that the pot needs to be sweetened with some electrons.

To be sure it is a customer convenience, but doesn’t it, in some way, undercut the basic goodness of the vehicle (i.e., “Hey, you might be thinking of something else, but we’re going to put a cherry on top, so it is better!”)? Not that I have anything against free energy, but somehow the value proposition of the vehicle itself ought to be sufficiently compelling.

“So, Sally, why’d you buy the EV?”

“Free charging.”

Kia Introduces Angular EV Concept

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What the American family may be rolling in sometime in the not-too-distant future

The Concept EV9 is a concept EV SUV that Kia has introduced. It is a three-row vehicle that is 194 inches long, 81 inches wide, 70 inches high, and has a 122-inch wheelbase. It rides on 22-inch wheels.

Kia Concept EV9: a three-row family hauler with an EV powertrain. (Image: Kia)

While it is not clear exactly what the battery or motor are, according to Kia the Concept EV9 has a 350-kW charger that would allow the battery to go from 10 to 80% in 20 to 30 minutes. The driving range is said to be 300 miles.

The design of the vehicle is based on Kia’s “Opposites United” design language.

It seems that it might be influenced by a Ford Flex having a collision with a Tesla Cybertruck.

2021 Niro EV Launched

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The what?, you, perhaps, wonder

By Gary S. Vasilash

When you think of an electric vehicle (EV), odds are that the first thing that comes to mind is something from Tesla.

Then, given the recent buzz, the forthcoming Ford F-150 Lightning.

Then after that maybe the Chevy Bolt EV.

And then any number of things, be it an Audi e-tron or a Porsche Taycan or something from a startup company that you’ve heard about (e.g., a Lucid Air).

K2021 Niro EV

How about the Niro EV?

(Quick: What is the name of the manufacturer who produces the Niro EV?)

The 2020 Niro EV was the number-one mass-market vehicle in the first J.D. Power Electric Vehicle Experience Ownership Study.

Number one.

The 2021 version is being launched.

The crossover from Kia has a starting MSRP of $39,090 and with its 64 kWh battery provides an estimated range of 239 miles.

It has a whole suite of standard driver assistance tech (from forward collision warning to smart cruise control with stop and go). Its got the goods, and then some.

And it is a functional compact crossover with 18.5 cubic feet behind the second row or 53 cubic feet with the second row folded. Usefulness meets technology at a very reasonable price.

Surprising how a competitive EV gets lost in the noise.

Kia and the Meaning of “Motors”

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Kia, up until January 15, was officially known as “Kia Motors.” At least the “Motors” part of Kia Corporation was.

Now the company is just “Kia.” Which is pretty much what everyone calls it, anyway.

According to the company, by dropping the “Motors” there is an indication that it is “breaking away from its traditional manufacturing-driven business model.” I would have thought that were the company named “Kia Manufacturing” that could be the case. Somehow I don’t figure how the elimination of “Motors” means that the company “will expand into new and emerging business areas by creating innovative mobility products and services to improve customers’ daily lives.”

For one thing, aren’t the vehicles that Kia manufactures things that “improve customers’ daily lives”? Odds are, when you need to make a Costco run you’re not going to want to call an Uber.

Second, aren’t those “innovative mobility products” things that are going to need to be. . .manufactured?

While announcing the name change Kia execs stressed that the company is “focused on popularizing battery electric vehicles (BEVs)” and that it will introduce seven BEVs by 2027, encompassing various types of configurations.

In addition, it will develop what it calls “Purpose-Built Vehicles” for corporate customers that will be based on “skateboard” platforms. That term has pretty much come to mean BEV.

In one sense, it is perhaps not a good move to remove “Motors” from the name. While a Camry or an F-150 has an “engine” under its hood, a Tesla or a Taycan has a “motor” under its hood.

So a BEV-centric company might want the word “motor” associated with it.

But then there’s the “Lincoln Motor Company,” a name that Ford brought back to its luxury division in 2012 to help bring to mind a classy Lincoln of yore, not electric vehicles as it has none at this point. “Electrified”—a.k.a., hybrids—yes, but purely motor-driven, no.

And while GM has changed its logo, it has hung on to its “Motors.”

Kia’s New Badge

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Kia is a company on the move, with hopes to have global sales of 2.92 million vehicles in 2021, up from the 2.61-million sales it had in 2020.

This will be bolstered by its brand transformation plan that is predicated on something called “Plan S,” a business strategy. The company is working to improve its profitability through flexible production operations in the regions it operates in.

For example, in the U.S. it produces the Telluride, Sorrento and K5 (previously known as the Optima), and in 2020, the Telluride (75,129) and Sorento (74,677) were its third and fourth overall best-selling vehicles in the market.

And there is something else that will certainly help.

Going from this logo:

Existing Kia logo. (Images: Kia)

To this:

New Kia logo.

Yes, that will certainly make a difference for a company whose vehicles are so design-forward.–gsv