Automotive Engineering - May 2024 - 19

ROAD READY
Kia's PBV concepts expand commercial possibilities
Kia's entry into the light commercial
vehicle market, launched at CES in Las
Vegas, provided an overview of the potential
range, from last-mile delivery
vehicles to medium cargo vans. Kia's
Platform Beyond Vehicles (PBVs) will
enter production with the PV5 in 2025
at a new PBV-dedicated plant in
Hwaseong, Korea. The larger PV7 will
follow between 2027 and 2032.
PV5, similar in size to the Ford Transit
Connect, was always going to be the
first of the range to enter production,
according to executive vice president
and head of Kia Global Design, Karim
Habib. Design plans include a van, a
high-roof van and a robot taxi. " The primary
purpose was a business-to-business
vehicle, " says Habib. " The businessto-customer
side was definitely not very
high on the list at the beginning. It came
in more and more as the product took
shape and as we saw the potential for it,
but the business-to-business side was
definitely the most important, whether
it's ride-hailing or delivery logistics.
" It's a cool, rational kind of thing because
we're designing more living spaces
now, even when we're doing normal
passenger cars, it's about making sure
that the time you spend in the vehicle
Kia's new line of all-electric light commercial vehicles will be built using the Platform Beyond
Vehicles system and could include digital screens on the exterior.
has value, it's not just about the driving.
A van is the ultimate execution of that.
The great thing about doing it on the
EV side is that the overhangs can be
much shorter; you don't have a frontwheel-drive
layout with the engine in
front of the axle. The wheelbase is
much longer, the wheels are much bigger,
and the vans have a great stance. "
The design team didn't just focus on
designing the complete vehicle; it also
turned its attention to areas that are
usually handled by external converters
and outfitters, Habib said,
" We designed the bare-bones, base
one, " he said. We designed what would
be an option out of the factory, and we
also designed the accessories, but I'm
talking here in terms of virtual. We did
some mockups, nothing fully production-ready,
and we would like to propose
that to those third parties, for
them to manufacture them, based on
those principles. "
One of the design's distinctive features
is the apparent lack of headlamps.
They're there, just positioned in the gap
above the front fender, where the air
intake for cooling air in an internal combustion
engine vehicle would be.
" We wanted to place the headlamps
up for two reasons. One is that it gives
the vehicle a certain presence, but also
because we didn't want them low in the
corners for crash damage reasons, "
Habib said. " They're inset, so they're
further in. They're also recessed to protect
them. The fenders are in three pieces
so that the corners can be replaced,
and the center can stay. "
Kia plans to sell around 300,000 units
The Kia PBV concepts feature flexible, open interiors that can be adapted to fit the needs of
commercial customers.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
a year in 2030. Following the launch in
Korea in 2025, the company plans to introduce
the vehicles in North and South
America, Europe, and other markets.
John Kendall
May 2024 19
BOTH IMAGES: JOHN KENDALL

Automotive Engineering - May 2024

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