Kia wants 'easy swap' body styles with new EV concept

With electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more popular than ever, it's no longer surprising that brands like Kia have plans to build commercial vehicles that produce no carbon emissions. While they already have passenger vehicles powered purely by electricity, Kia wants to extend its lineup of vehicles to include a modular commercial vehicle that can change body styles depending on customer needs.

Say hello to the Kia Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) Concept, and it could change how Kia builds commercial vehicles in the future. Revealed at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the concept highlights a flexible platform that can take on multiple roles and rapidly expand the future of mobility.

Kia brought several examples of the PBV Concept at CES 2024 via the PV1, PV5, and PV7. All use a similar modular chassis that can be extended or shortened and features a dedicated cab for the driver. Serving as the centerpiece is the “life module” or body that will be attached to the platform via couplings called “easy swap” technology. This will serve to make swapping interchangeable bodies easier for customers.

Kia added that they plan to offer different various body styles that include Basic, Chassis Cab, High Roof, and Van. In the future, Kia also plans to have a robotaxi model which aims to provide a revolutionary means of autonomous taxi services. For fleet use, Kia mentioned that they plan to develop business software that can keep track of and manage a company's fleets.

“Kia’s PBV business represents our vision of going beyond the traditional concept of automobiles by fulfilling the unmet needs of diverse customers and communities through optimized vehicles and services catering to specific market and business circumstances. Kia PBVs will be an enabler of business innovation thanks to our customer-centric management system, EV mass production expertise, and the Hyundai Motor Group’s rapidly developing SDx strategy and related future businesses. We are excited to show that we are fully prepared to become the first mover in the global PBV market,” said Ho Sung Song, president & CEO of Kia.

In the future, Kia plans to open a dedicated factory to build PBVs in Korea should the concept become a reality. The automaker expects the PBV plant to become operational by 2025.