2015 Kia Sorento Lx on 2040-cars

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Kia boss details 5-year plan to overhaul brand with EVs front and center

Kia's new boss has detailed an aggressive, $25 billion plan to electrify much of its lineup by 2025 and change its brand image. Hosung Song, promoted to President in March, wants to move faster than parent company Hyundai into EVs and PBVs, or purpose-built vehicles, better suited to how he believes cars will be used in the future. In an interview with Automotive News, Song said that Kia's "Plan S" will offer 11 electric-only models by mid-decade, comprising 6.6% of the global EV market share and generating 20% of Kia's own sales. By then, Song believes the total cost of ownership for electric and internal combustion cars will be about the same, as ICEs require more maintenance and fuel costs are projected to rise. Not only that, but by 2026 Song wants Kia to sell half a million battery-electric vehicles, as well as another half-million hybrids, PHEVs and other "green" offerings. By 2027, Kia will have seven models powered exclusively by electrons. Then, by 2029, a full quarter of Kia's sales will be from EVs. As for PBVs, Kia describes them as vehicles specifically designed for ride-hailing services, as autonomous taxis and e-commerce delivery-bots. They will be used primarily in urban centers and feature autonomous tech, as cities around the world change the rules for cars and car ownership. The new plans dovetail with Kia's desire to appeal to a younger customer base. However, Song told AN that he also wants to move the brand upmarket, which may conflict with the utilitarian, robo-taxi image that PBVs will foster. Finally, ushering in this new era will be a revamped Kia logo. According to AN, Kia will dispense with the name-in-an-oval badge that has been in use since 1994. Instead, the new branding will resemble the stylized name, sans oval, found on the Kia Imagine concept revealed at Geneva in 2019. As for the "S" in Plan S, Kia says that it stands for "shift," as in a shift "from a business system focused on internal combustion engine vehicles toward one centered on electric vehicles and customized mobility solutions." Related Video:

Kia teases K5/Optima again, in two different ways

When Kia teased a drawing of the third-generation K5 sedan for the Korean market — our Kia Optima — the pictured red sedan adopted a fastback shape and detailing somewhere in between evolution and revolution. The South Korean automaker has teased the K5 a second time with two different takes on the next-gen four-door, one of them tipped all the way to the side of revolution, the other presenting a refined evolution. The revolutionary takes (second and third in the gallery above) look as if the spirit of SEMA bled across the Pacific to Seoul. In these two drawings, the K5 has been lowered, widened, given a jutting front fascia rife with intakes, set on giant wheels with rubber-band tires, and slathered in color-shifting violet and lavender paint. The leanness makes the family sedan look more like a coupe, especially from the hippy and winged rear three-quarter.  The evolutionary take (the silver car that's first in the gallery), found on Kia's Korean site, looks more like the car everyone has a chance of getting. The drawing provides a handsome basis for the exaggerations in the other renderings; everything's here from the SEMA-fied version, only toned down. We gather that, on the outside, designers intend to make their statement with the sheetmetal behind the B-pillar. The lines create a fastback profile, stressed by the chrome cradle running from one A-pillar, around the backlight to the other A-pillar. If the shutlines are accurate, the decklid will be split by a dark portion that acts to extend the rear window graphic and a body-colored panel. Racy vents aft of the rear wheels tie into wide chrome exhaust finishers and a prominent, slatted diffuser.  Kia's thrown a lot of copy at what it's going for with the next K5/Optima, talking about the "evolution of dynamics" and noting how this car will turn the "Tiger Grille" into the "Tiger Face." Part of that involves merging elements of the grille and headlights into a more organic piece. The K5 looks like it will adopt a restrained version of the new headlight-grille combination recently shown on the redesigned Hyundai Grandeur (our Azera, no longer on sale here). We'll be seeing more of it in the future.

Nissan GT-R, Armada and the new Kia Sorento | Autoblog Podcast #658

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Road Test Editor Zac Palmer for the final episode of 2020. They've been driving some interesting cars, including the Nissan GT-R, the new Nissan Armada, a Mercedes-Benz GLA and a pair of new-gen Kia Sorentos. They talk a bit about an interesting new EV called the Ace from Alpha Motor Corporation. Finally, the trio takes turns talking about their favorite cars they drove this year. Enjoy, and we'll be back with more episodes in 2021. Autoblog Podcast #658 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown What we're driving:2021 Nissan GT-R 2021 Nissan Armada 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLA 2021 Kia Sorento Alpha Motor Corporation unveils Ace electric coupe Our favorite cars of the year: Zac: Lotus Evora GT John: Polestar 2 Greg: McLaren GT Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Green Podcasts Kia Lotus McLaren Mercedes-Benz Nissan Coupe Crossover SUV Electric Luxury Performance Sedan Polestar