Ford Rival Kia Reveals Upcoming Modular EV Platform

January 13, 2024 2:03 am

Ford has been working on its second-generation EVs for some time now, and we already know a few things pertaining to what we can expect from those models. Ford’s future EVs will ride on dedicated all-electric platforms, for starters, packed with digital experiences and expected to generate massive profits. Now, Kia has revealed its own upcoming modular EV platform, which is slated to underpin its future all-electric models as well, which will follow Ford’s lead and adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), rather than the Combined Charging System (CCS), too.

As part of the new Kia Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) strategy, this new architecture was revealed at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and will accompany the debut of an all-new, upcoming, modular EV model that’s being previewed by the also-new Kia Concept PV5. The goal here, as is typically the case with modular platforms, is that this new platform will be used to underpin a variety of new models ranging in size and scope, all sharing advanced software solutions based on the Hyundai Motor Group’s software-to-everything, or SDx, strategy.

Kia is aiming to use PBV as its dedicated business system that integrates vehicles, software, and future technologies to deliver added value, in fact, which should benefit both the company and consumers by reducing costs and eliminating redundancies. “Kia PBVs will initiate a new era of seamless everyday business and lifestyle solutions,” said Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design. “We hope to make our customers’ lives easier and better, whether they’re stationary or on the move, offering exceptional flexibility and customization through radical modularization.”

“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,” added Ho Sung Song, Kia Corporation President and CEO.

We’ll have more on everything Ford’s competition is up to soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.