As we have advanced (and also spotted), Kia will change its logo and now Kia Motors Corporation president, Ho Sung Song have confirmed in an interview with Automotive News. Internal communication of the strategy begins this fall, with information going public in January.
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Kia’s new global boss, Ho Sung Song, has embarked on a five-year plan to realign the South Korean automaker’s world business around electric vehicles and new mobility, all while building a younger customer base and moving upmarket. This is the so called Plan S.
Song, previously in charge of global operations and former head of Kia Motors Europe, spent nearly two years developing it before being handed the reins as company president in April. “We want to be more dynamic, stylish and inventive,” said Kia’s Ho Sung Song.
The new strategy is called Plan S, with S standing for “shift.” Kia will embark on a brand “relaunch” in January that dumps the company’s long-in-the-tooth oval logo in favor of a completely restyled corporate emblem to herald a new Kia in a new era of industry upheaval. “We need something to initiate or drive that business paradigm into the new world,” Song said of the new logo. “These days, we are transitioning to a new industry paradigm.” he said.
Comparison between the patent (left) and the real deal (right)
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The new direction, to be unveiled in January, targets a mass ramp-up of EVs through 2025 and a rapid expansion into what the company calls purpose-built vehicles, or PBVs. These are runabouts dedicated to new mobility enterprises such as ride-hailing, robotaxis and on-the-go e-commerce.
Song said the rush of EVs will help Kia reach a different, more upmarket target customer. “We will try to set up our new customer target together with our brand relaunch,” he said. Under Plan S, Kia will build an EV lineup of 11 models by 2025, and it will have seven EV-only products by 2027. Kia plans to sell 500,000 battery-electric vehicles by 2026, and move another 500,000 hybrids, plug-in hybrids and other eco-friendly offerings in that time frame. Kia’s first dedicated EV will be delivered next year.
Answering to Automotive News, Ho Sung Song said it is too early to give details about the upcoming image overhaul. Kia has been using variants of its current logo, with the word Kia in capital letters encircled by an oval, since 1994, with minor tweaks in 2004 and 2012. Song declined to say what the new logo will look like, but we already have seen recent filings with South Korea’s patent office and the real logo in the steering wheel and tailgate of the future K7.
