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Kia CEO unveils $33B plan to expand in EVs, autonomous driving and robotics

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 18:48 Updated: 10 Apr. 2026, 16:38

Song Ho-sung, the CEO of Kia, speaks at 2026 Investor Day at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on April 9. [HYUNDAI MOTORS/KIA]

Kia plans to invest 49 trillion won ($33 billion) through 2030 to gear up for expansions in EVs, autonomous driving and robotics, with a push to lead future growth by increasing the presence of its humanoid robot Atlas in its U.S. factories and completing the development of autonomous driving vehicles by 2027.

The carmaker revealed the plans during the 2026 CEO Investor Day in Seoul at the Shilla Hotel in Jung District, central Seoul, on Thursday. The company also outlined a balanced product road map across internal combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles to address diverging regional demand.

"The market is volatile," said Kia CEO Song Ho-sung. "We will grow exponentially through EV, hybrid vehicles, autonomous driving and robotics."

The automaker, which sold 3.14 million vehicles globally last year, plans to sell 3.35 million units this year and 4.13 million units by 2030.

The carmaker plans to expand its vehicle lineup across all segments to match varying levels of electrification demand in each region. By 2030, the company will introduce nine new internal combustion models and 13 hybrid models, while increasing its EV lineup from the current 11 models to 14.

Sales targets for 2030 — 1.98 million internal combustion vehicles, 1.15 million hybrid vehicles and 1 million EVs — reflect the company's efforts to capture the different demands across regions, such as high demand for hybrid cars in the United States and EVs in Europe.

Boston Dynamics’ next-generation humanoid robot Atlas and quadruped robot Spot are displayed at the 2026 Kia Investor Day held at the Shilla Hotel, Jung District, central Seoul, on April 9. [HYUNDAI MOTORS/KIA]

Kia also outlined a group-wide strategy to integrate robotics and autonomous driving across its operations, from manufacturing to logistics.

Atlas, a humanoid robot developed by affiliate Boston Dynamics, will be deployed at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in 2028 and later at Kia’s plant in Georgia in 2029, where it will be trained to perform increasingly complex tasks.

The company also plans to combine purpose-built vehicles with robots such as Stretch and Spot to enter the last-mile delivery market, completing the final step in delivering goods directly to customers.

Kia’s autonomous driving development, carried out in collaboration with Nvidia — a U.S.-based technology company known for designing advanced chips and software used in artificial intelligence and self-driving systems — aims to complete vehicles capable of autonomous driving on highways, Level 2+, by 2027 and expand to city driving, Level 2++, by early 2029.

The Kia EV2 [KIA]

Under Level 2+, drivers can take their hands off the wheel on highways while still keeping an eye on the road. At Level 2++, drivers can briefly take their eyes off the road.

The company plans to develop autonomous driving technology through a dual-track approach that combines partnerships and in-house development. It will work with partners such as Nvidia to quickly bring self-driving vehicles to market, while also using data collected from those vehicles to build its own autonomous driving technology over time.

Kia plans to invest 49 trillion won over five years through 2030, an increase of 7 trillion won from its previous five-year plan. Almost 43 percent, or 21 trillion won, will be allocated to future technologies, including EV, robotics and autonomous driving.

The automaker projected annual revenue of 122.3 trillion won for this year, up 7.2 percent from last year, and an operating profit of 10.2 trillion won, up 12.4 percent.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY NAM YOON-SEO [[email protected]]