Dedicated network will serve Kia’s electric van customers

The PV5 electric light-commercial vehicle made its debut at the CV Show and unveiling the new model, Kia UK president and CEO Paul Philpott (pictured) said the initial dealer network of 50 professional van centres would be expanded to 60 by the end of 2026.

“We will deliver service excellence through the strong partnership we have with our franchised dealers and proven supply chain and repair infrastructure,” he said. “Initially our centres will be with existing Kia partners who have experience of selling commercial vehicles for other brands, but we are also not ruling out bringing in new partners to the franchise.”

Each PBV Centre will be equipped with its own dedicated facilities and specialist resources. Kia PBV centres will open for business from Q4 2025 to coincide with the first PV5 UK deliveries. Philpott also confirmed that pre-orders for the initial model, the PV5, are open from 1 May and the van will begin production in August at the brand-new state-of-the-art Hwaseong EVO plant in South Korea.

Kia has invested around €3 billion in the factory which can produce 150,000 units per year and ushers in the next generation of commercial vehicle factory capabilities, for example to enable chassis cab conversions and custom livery paint to be completed on-site.

The PV5 will be joined by the PV7 medium-sized van in 2027 and the PV9 large van will arrive before the end of the decade. “From there we will steadily expand our PBV line-up as we establish Kia as a volume player in the commercial vehicle market,” Philpott said.

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