Kia announced their electrification roadmap, which unveiled the company’s EV9 SUV will be the first to use their autonomous driving tech called ‘Automode.’
Not much is known about ‘Automode’, but it sounds like it is at least a Level 3 self-driving technology.
The feature will include a “Highway Driving Pilot, ” allowing the car to drive independently without driver intervention.
However, Kia did not detail the limitations or other features.
The electrification roadmap unveiled the Korean automaker’s plans to have 14 fully electric models by 2027. By 2030, Kia hopes to sell 1.2 million EVs out of the total 4 million vehicles it projects for annual sales.
This is an aggressive target, but Kia believes it can hit these numbers.
They hope to sell 160,000 EVs in 2022. They then are hoping to ramp up sales by five times in 2026 to 807,000. Then by 2030, Kia would hit 1.2 million by 2030.
To help reach those numbers, Kia will introduce at least two new EVs per year. This includes a couple of electric pickup trucks, including a dedicated truck and a strategic model for emerging markets.
In the near term, Kia will introduce the EV9 SUV in 2023. The vehicle features a yoke steering wheel a massive 27-inch display.
As well, performance-wise, EV9 can do 0-100 km/h in five seconds and has a range of 540 km.
Additionally, the vehicle will be the first Kia model to have over-the-air and feature-on-demand services.
