Autech ventures into PBV market in collaboration with Kia

Kia’s PBV Conversion Center

Korean specialty vehicle manufacturer Autech Corp. announced on Wednesday that it is entering the purpose-built vehicle (PBV) market in collaboration with Kia. PBV is an emerging sector that global automotive manufacturers are leveraging as a new growth engine. It involves producing vehicles tailored to the customers’ specific needs using electric vehicle platforms capable of accommodating various types of vehicles with different sizes and performance capabilities.

Kia designated PBV as a core future business earlier in 2024 and aims to grab a market share of over 20 percent in the global electric commercial vehicle market by 2030. Kia plans to offer various functionalities via conversion models and collaborating with external ecosystems, including Autech, to realize this strategy. Autech is currently collaborating with Kia to open a “PBV Conversion Center” in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province.

The center will be responsible for the design, development, production, and delivery of PBV conversion models in collaboration with partner companies. Autech, in partnership with Gi Motors, will oversee the development of conversion components and flexible production based on cell production methods. Korea Tech, a specialized research and development (R&D) company, will be responsible for optimizing the design of conversion models.

Autech said it has strategically positioned PBV as a core strategy and is planning to actively expand exports.