[CES 2024] Kia to unveil five PBV concept models at CES 2024

Kia will display five concept cars, as well as EV batteries and electric flying taxis at the upcoming CES 2024 trade show. SK will also have a booth at the event.

A teaser image for Kia's CES 2024 presentation. The annual tech event will take place from Jan. 9 to 12 in Las Vegas. [KIA]

Kia will announce its business strategies for purpose-built vehicles (PBVs) at CES 2024 next month and will display five concept cars.

The show will mark the company's first return to the Las Vegas trade show in five years; it most recently appeared there in 2019. Kia will also maintain a booth at the event, which takes place from Jan. 9 to 12 in Las Vegas.

Under the theme “All Set for Every Inspiration,” Kia will display three midsize concept vehicles, as well as one large and one small model. A PBV is designed for specific use cases such as shuttling, last-mile delivery and ride-hailing service.

“We redefined PBV as 'Platform Beyond Vehicle,' with a goal of allowing people some kind of experiences other than vehicles just as a means of transportation,” Kia said.

The company will also showcase the newest technologies like Easy Swap, which enables the transformation of vehicles such as taxis into dedicated delivery products, and Dynamic Hybrid, which assists in the assembly of variously sized vehicle bodies to facilitate low-volume production of a diverse range of models.

PBV has been Kia's latest focus. The company has been building a 1 trillion won ($770 million) PBV manufacturing facility in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi. Production will start in December 2024 with an annual capacity of 150,000.

Kia plans to roll out its first PBV model, which will be a midsize vehicle, in 2025.

An image of SK's booth at the CES 2024, which is scheduled to kick off on Jan. 9 in Las Vegas. [SK INC.]

SK Group also said Thursday that a total of seven SK companies including SK Innovation, SK hynix and SK Telecom will share a 1,850-square-meter (19,913-square-foot) booth at the annual event.

The group will show off an array of products to meant to reduce carbon emissions during CES 2024, ranging from electric vehicle batteries to electric flying taxis.

The booth, under the theme of “Inspire Happiness,” will imagine a world that has overcome the climate crisis, SK said.

The conglomerate is currently working toward a goal to reduce its carbon emissions to 200 million tons by 2030, which is an aggressive target equivalent to one percent of the world's total reduction goal.

“SK will decorate the booth to help visitors feel the happiness that a world free of climate crisis could give,” SK said. “We will deliver the message that happiness comes when they join the journey to reduce carbon emissions.”

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]