Over the last number of years KIA Motors has made tremendous strides in the motoring industry. With that comes the news that the Korean company wants to be at the forefront of environmentally friendly vehicles by 2020 through a set of ambitious plans.
Over the course of the next five years KIA plans to expand its green car fleet from four to eleven models and have 70% of its current engines replaced by more efficient units. The company also increased its investment in research and development into greener cars, with the aim of meeting the 2020 goals. The investment made by the Hyundai Motor Group, parent company to KIA, totals R146.778 billion, which highlights KIA’s intent on being a leader in green technology in the near future.
“Global market demand is shifting to electric vehicles, with oil prices predicted to rise in future. The electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle market will grow rapidly in the coming years, and this investment will enable KIA to meet the growing demand with a range of advanced new products and technologies,” said Ki-Sang Lee, Senior VP at KIA Motors.
As mentioned earlier, a range of new vehicles will be launched in the coming years. These will include hybrids and plug-in hybrids, to battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles.
The first vehicle to feature the new technologies will be the KIA Optima PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle). This car will come equipped with a high capacity lithium-polymer battery pack and electric motor turned via a new six-speed automatic transmission. Another vehicle to see the light will be the Niro hybrid utility vehicle (HUV), with which KIA hopes to target CO2 emissions of 90 g/km.
A car KIA is confident will make a strong impact is its FCEV – a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle set for launch in 2020. This car will feature next-generation hydrogen fuel stack technology and the company is aiming to sell 1 000 units per year from launch. The KIA FCEV will feature a raft of technologies that should assist the car in reaching a targeted range of 800 km from a single fill-up.
In line with this, KIA aims to have fuel efficiency improved by 25% across its entire model range by 2020.
