Kia’s first light commercial vehicle will appear in showrooms before the end of 2025 and be joined by two larger vans by the end of the decade.
Unveiling the all-electric PV5 compact van at the CV Show in Birmingham last week, Kia announced that it will be joined by the mid-sized PV7 in 2027 and then the PV9 large van by the end of the decade.
By that point, Kia expects to be selling around 17,000 examples of its PBV van range annually, having built up from an initial full-year volume of between 3,000 and 4,000 vehicles. The company’s UK managing director, Paul Philpott, described the decision to enter the commercial vehicle market at the greatest change the brand has made since entering the UK market in 1991.
Kia has built a new factory in South Korea in which to build its LCVs, at a cost equivalent to around €3 billion and with a potential annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles. The factory is able to handle the complete production process, including chassis cab conversions and bespoke liveries.
Pre-orders for the Kia PV5 are now being taken, with production set to begin in August. In the UK, the range will be handled by an initial network of 50 professional van centres, the first of which are set to open in autumn as the first vans begin to arrive.
Kia expects to expand its LCV network to 60 outlets by the end of 2026. Several Kia dealers were at the CV Show to see the PV5 unveiling, and the company has said that its first dealers will be existing Kia passenger car retailers who also have experience of selling vans for other brands.
