CES 2024 automotive showdown: KIA leads EV vans contest

Among three vans KIA flaunted at CES 2024, most astounding one is PV5, a medium-sized van, which will bethe first to be available for consumers
The image shows KIAs Carnival van. — KIA
The image shows KIA's Carnival van. — KIA

Kia, a newcomer brand in the sphere of automobile manufacturing, presented a range of customisable e-van concepts at the CES 2024 on Tuesday.

Since the auto manufacturing sector has long aimed its production wings towards a greener facet of the planet, companies are already engrossed in making vehicles that release less to no carbon in the atmosphere.

One may call it an upshot of bandwagoning on environment sustainability, which is driven by the ever-worsening hazardous after-effects of global warming, but KIA with these yet-to-be-designed vans has embarked on a remarkable feat.

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KIA's upcoming EV vans

Among three van concepts which KIA flaunted at the CES stage, the most astounding was PV5, its medium-sized van, which will be the first to be on the market once manufactured, according to CNN.

The extent to which this van can be customised is something out of one’s grasp. This claim could be measured by a removable separate body section it features. Behind a front driving area inside the vehicle, this space-separating characteristic allows the vehicle to be a passenger.

KIA's PV1 and PV7

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2024 (CES), the manufacturer also displayed a bigger van, called the PV7, and a much smaller van, the PV1, tailored to roam through packed urban traffic.

The PV7 is like big vans that carry lots of cargo or have multiple rows of seats for people. Whereas, the PV1 bears resemblance with very small vans that are used when cargo space isn’t needed but ease of parking is the priority.

The company said these vans will be manufactured at KIA’s designated production base in South Korea with an output of about 150,000 units per year.

KIA also vows to offer to its commercial customers, under the hood of these customisable vans, an integrated fleet management system and a specialised customer support team, which are the exclusive services that are extended by Ford and General Motors to their big fleet customers.

KIA’s current offerings

The South Korean automaker at the moment has family minivans at the forefront of its stores, such as Kia Carnival, electric cars and some SUVs too.