Korean automaker Kia detailed its new brand strategy on Thursday, starting with a new name (sort of), a new logo and an increased focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. All of this will culminate with the launch of seven new battery electric vehicles by 2027.Â
Formerly known as the Kia Motor Company, the brand's official corporate name is now simply Kia. The renaming is said to signal the brand "expanding its business to encompass EVs, mobility solutions and services, purpose-built vehicles and more," according to a statement. In other words, Kia hopes you'll think of it as more than just a car brand.
Frankly, we don't know anyone outside of the automaker's own HQ who's ever referred to the brand as the Kia Motor Company, so at the very least, this brings the official name in line with what we've already been using.
More visibly, the new name comes with a new logo that will be adopted across the brand's vehicles as part of a wave of updates and refreshes over the next year. Expect the upcoming Kia Carnival minivan -- formerly the Sedona -- to be the first model to wear the new badge when it arrives in the second quarter of 2021.
Along with the new branding, Kia is also shifting a large part of its focus to environmental sustainability, both in the vehicles it builds and how they are manufactured. The brand reaffirmed its plans to bring seven new dedicated battery electric vehicles to market globally by 2027. Kia is calling these "purpose-built vehicles" or PBVs, each designed to fill a specific transportation niche. We got a shadowy peek at a micro autonomous pod, an individual urban transporter, a bean-shaped midsize commuter and a larger logistics vehicle during Kia's brand presentation. The mix also includes more traditional designs, such as a hatchback and what appears to be a vaguely Telluride-sized SUV.
The new wave of EVs will also usher in a new design language and philosophy for Kia's vehicles. The automaker says we'll get our first look at its new look when the first of its new concepts is revealed later this year.
