Kia sets up new network for van sales and aftersales

Kia UK has announced national PBV Centre locations and partners, where sales and aftersales services for its commercial vehicle range will be available.

The new PBV Centre network spearheads the launch of the brand’s business vans in the UK and is being built from the ground up to meet the needs of commercial vehicle operators and drivers. Kia PBV Centres are planned to be operational by late 2025 – coinciding with first UK deliveries of the Kia PV5.

Partners have been selected for their expertise and ability to best serve commercial vehicle customers, with many already supporting Kia’s own fleet and business customers, or serving commercial vehicle customers at multi-brand commercial vehicle sites.

Every PBV Centre will be equipped with its own dedicated facilities and specialist resources. This includes a sales area with display units, a service reception, dedicated workshop with high-capacity vehicle ramps, specialist Kia equipment and tools and a supporting team of staff including sales, technicians and a service adviser.

Kia’s first fully electric commercial vehicle, the PV5, will exclusively be available from PBV Centres. Initially, Kia UK plans to sell between 3-4,000 units in its first full year. Kia plans to incrementally build year-on-year in the UK to around 17,000 PBV sales by 2030.

Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK, said: “The new network will be built on the back of our partnership with our dealer network and the vast majority of our new PBV Centres will be managed by an existing partner. The new network will be formed of a combination of standalone facilities linked to multi-brand van centres or at existing Kia locations. We will capitalise on our fleet and business expertise within our network and are looking to operate much under the same franchise principles we employ across our car business that have earned praise from our partners and customers alike.”