Kia’s first mobility product, which has internal codename PBV01 and it uses many parts of the 1st generation Kia Niro EV was disclosed during brand Investor Day event held today. This Purpose-based vehicle is set to be launched during 2022 and will replace Kia K5 as Taxi model in South Korea.
What we know so far?
The mysterious vehicle was caught in the street near Hyundai Motor Group’s R&D Center in Namyang, South Korea and despite we don’t know what this could be, it is clear that Hyundai are trying to play distraction. Checking Hyundai and Kia future vehicles, despite almost all of their future vehicles will be electric this test mule has a regular exhaust.
These are the very first spy shots of an expected SUV that should arrive sometime in 2023. The chassis testing mule had a slightly modified body of the Kia Niro with the same wheelbase and a higher roof.
Currently, Hyundai could be working on next-gen Kona or next-gen i30 which is expected to be transfored into a crossover. Both Kona and i30 had a whellbase of 2.600mm and 2.650mm while the Niro has 2.700mm, so it makes sense that the wheelbase be the same as it is already longer than the current Kona and i30 models.
The another option is that we could be in front of a test mule testing underpinnings of new SUV for the Indian market. Both Hyundai and Kia are on a real offensive to conquer the Indian market with the launch of several new models, including EV’s, in the coming years. Recently Hyundai invested 600 billion won (US $500 million) in the Indian market.
So what do you think? Place your bets!
