Kia Motors is targeting 2029 for mass production of a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) version of the Carnival. With the production timeline for the previously announced model now taking shape, the automaker is also moving to introduce key new models and reorganize its domestic production facilities.
According to automotive industry sources on Monday, Kia management and labor recently held an employment stability committee meeting and reached an agreement on the production schedules for major new vehicles from 2027 to 2029 and production plans by domestic plant.
The agreement included the development of the Carnival hydrogen vehicle, a generational shift in key SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles), and the introduction of new electric vehicles.
Kia plans to add a model equipped with the next-generation hydrogen fuel cell system to the successor model of the Carnival, which will be produced at its Gwangmyeong 1 Plant in Gyeonggi Province in 2029. If launched as planned, it will become the first hydrogen vehicle Yangsan by Kia since its founding in 1944. Currently, the Carnival is sold in gasoline and HYBE lead models.
The development plan for the Carnival hydrogen vehicle has been reported on multiple occasions previously. However, through this labor-management agreement, the specific Yangsan timing for the Carnival hydrogen vehicle was disclosed.
It is also significant that Hyundai Motor Group's hydrogen fuel cell technology is being expanded to Kia's key vehicle models. Hyundai is targeting the hydrogen passenger car market centered on the Nexo and is utilizing related technologies in commercial vehicle sectors such as hydrogen buses and trucks. If Kia also embarks on hydrogen vehicle Yangsan, the group's hydrogen vehicle LINEup is expected to expand further.
Kia is also pushing forward with a generational shift in its key SUVs. It will produce the successor model of the Sportage at its Gwangju Plant in 2027 and the successor model of the Sorento at its Hwaseong Plant in Gyeonggi Province in 2028. The electric vehicles EV3 and EV9 will undergo product improvements in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Some domestic production plants will also be restructured. A new electric vehicle known as the EV7, a mid-size electric SUV comparable to the Sorento, will be introduced at the Gwangju 3 Plant, which currently produces Bongo trucks. This involves optimizing the existing Bongo production LINE to enable parallel production with electric vehicles.
The introduction of new electric vehicles appears to be an effort to expand electric vehicle production capacity by utilizing existing production facilities. Kia is expanding its LINEup by vehicle class in response to increasing demand for electric vehicles. The addition of a mid-size electric SUV could also reinforce the product lineup between the existing EV3, EV5, and EV9.
In the case of the Gwangju Hanam Plant, which produces the large bus Grandbird, it will be converted into a specialized production base for military vehicles. Instead of withdrawing from the bus business, the company plans to expand the production of new military vehicle models and derivative models. This is a strategy to restructure existing bus production facilities with a focus on military vehicles to improve plant operational efficiency.
Previously, Kia set targets to sell 1 million electric vehicles, 1.1 million HYBE lead vehicles, and 230,000 purpose-built vehicles (PBVs) by 2030. Through this new vehicle development and plant restructuring, the company aims to diversify powertrains and respond to changes in market demand.
in INDUSTRY
