The 2023 Highlights for the Kia Corp
The Kia Corp and its parent group Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) have been super busy this year. Whether looking into new powertrain systems involving Green Hydrogen or changing city infrastructure to build a new charging station network between BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis, the automakers have had a lot going on in 2023. Winning many awards, too many to mention, and all kinds of new advancements, check out some of the highlights for the Kia Corp.
Joint Ventures and Memorandums
Getting straight to the heart of the matter, Kia is all about going electric, and to make sure the HMG can fuel its future lineup, HMG and LG Energy Solution (LGES) signed a memorandum to produce battery-electric vehicle (BEV) batteries in the U.S. As we mentioned above, HMG is one of several automakers working on the new BEV charging station, and Kia has made it even easier for consumers to make the switch to BEVs now with the recent addition of giving Kia BEV owners access to 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the nation. In 2022, the HMG shared its vision of the “Smart City”. In 2023, the automotive group began to pursue this vision with a partnership between HMG and Georgia Tech to stimulate future forms of mobility through research and development and student engagement. In November, the HMG and Motional are working together to bring certified robotaxis to the U.S., an industry-first if it goes national.
Developments
Moving towards carbon neutrality, many automakers are looking for ways to make their vehicles more eco-friendly. The Kia Corp is doing this by making more vehicles out of sustainable materials. In 2023, the Kia EV9 finally made landfall in the U.S., and the automaker shared a list of sustainable materials used to make the Kia EV9. This year, a total of five BEVs have been debuted or announced, including the Kia EV6, Kia EV9, upcoming EV5, and the also sustainable Kia EV3 and EV4 concepts.
2023 had many ground-breaking moments. HMG and Kia are entering a whole new world of robotics and software engineering, currently researching how to design and develop software-defined vehicles (SDVs). In terms of their current BEV platform business strategy, engineers between the Kia Corp and HMG have previewed a possible new take on BEV drivetrain called a Universal Wheel Drive System — or “Uni Wheel”. It’s just another part of developing the Kia Plan S Strategy, a two-fork path that also discussed “Purpose-built vehicles” (PBVs). Kia says it’s going to bring a whole new meaning to PBVs, calling them “Platform Beyond Vehicles” that will be displayed during the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
Awards and Celebrations
2023 was a big year for the Kia Corp and several models in the lineup. This year, the Kia Sportage celebrated 30 years with a New 30th Anniversary with Special Edition. After winning the 2023 NACTOY Utility Vehicle Award, the Kia EV6 released the new EV6 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Limited Edition Model. The automaker actually had some pretty solid wins, becoming known as the most awarded automaker in the industry for the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). Kia also ranked high during the J.D. Power APEAL Study and the 2023 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.
There are far too many too mention, but recently, the Kia EV9 was named “Family Car of the Year” during the TopGear.com Awards, two awards during the DrivingElectric Awards, and the title of Family Car during the Golden Steering Wheel 2023 awards. It was a good first-year debut for the Kia EV9 electric SUV. It’s older sibling, and Kia’s first all-electric vehicle with no predecessor, the Kia EV6, still won awards throughout the year, like Road & Track’s 2024 Performance EV of the Year award and landing on the TIME Best Inventions of 2023 List. Other models got the spotlight now and then, too, like the Kia Telluride being named “Family Vehicle of the Year” by the Hispanic Motor Press or the 2024 Kia Seltos winning the title of 2023 Affordable SUV Challenge by Cars.com.
It was another great year for Kia, and the automaker will once again be bringing it all home by delivering the 2024 New Year’s Numerals to Times Square. We expect the next few years to show some interesting developments. It all starts during the Kia showcase during the 2024 CES, starting Tuesday, Jan 9, 2024. Be sure to check out any year-end holiday deals at for a new car at Miami Lakes Automall, and have a Happy New Year!