Kia Outlines New Brand Purpose and Drops ‘Motors’ from its Corporate Name

Kia executives are looking at 2021 as the year the global automaker takes a lead position in the future mobility business and refocusing all parts of its business.

In early January, Kia signaled that new direction by unveiling a new corporate logo to represent the new direction the company wants to take. The new logo leaves behind the familiar three-letter Kia logo known to many and reimagines it in the style of a handwritten signature. Along with the new corporate logo, Kia announced a new corporate slogan as well: ‘Movement that inspires’.

In a live-streamed YouTube presentation, Ho Sung Song, president and CEO of Kia Corporation said the global automaker did a lot of introspection amongst its executives, employees and Kia owners to get a better idea of what people thought about its products and customer experience.

Because of the challenges going forward, “we needed to reinvent ourselves, so are starting with a new brand approach, corporate mission, business direction and design philosophy, and creating a culture that puts the customer first,” he said.

The next major part of that reinvention – along with the logo that consumers will notice – is the fact that the automaker has dropped ‘Motors’ from its corporate name. The dropping of ‘Motors’ is a signal that the automaker is putting its focus on the future of mobility technologies and services, and thinking beyond the automobile.

The company aims to take a leadership position in a wide range of EV technologies and mobility services, as well as a major push to popularize battery electric vehicles. Key to that will be the launch of seven dedicated battery electric vehicles by 2027 that will cover passenger vehicles, SUVs and MPVs covering several segments. It looks to have global annual sales of 500,000 battery electric vehicles by 2026.

Artur Martins, senior vice-president, head of global brand and customer experience at Kia said part of the company’s new direction is also putting a focus on improving the customer experience with the Kia brand and its vehicles. He admitted that consumers today do not have a positive experience with vehicle buying and Kia looks to change that, by giving consumers a more “meaningful experience” when interacting with the company, its products, and it dealer and service network.

Kia will reveal more information about the new design direction of its future products and services in the weeks ahead, with a new design philosophy that reflects the brand’s transformation.

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