Kia scouts ex-Stellantis executive Pierre-Martin Bos as PBV director

Kia Corp. has brought a former Stellantis N.V.’s commercial vehicle specialist on board for its purpose-built vehicle (PBV) business in Europe as South Korea’s second-largest carmaker is gearing up for the PBV era given the segment's growth potential in future mobility solutions. 

Pierre-Martin Bos has joined Kia Europe headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, as the new director of the PBV division as of July 10, the company announced on Monday.

The French manager has two decades of experience in the commercial vehicle market with various global automakers including Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. and Stellantis in Europe.

Just prior to joining the Korean carmaker, he led Stellantis’ light commercial vehicle (LCV) and business-to-business vehicle businesses and helped the Amsterdam-based multinational auto group take the lead in the LCV & B2B markets in the Middle East and Africa.

With the new PBV director, Kia will speed up the expansion of the PBV market in Europe, where the notion of future mobility solutions is still novel, while expanding its position in the region’s B2B and LCV markets as a newcomer.

Bos will lead Kia’s project to unearth and create demand for purpose-built vehicles in Europe and ready Kia to pioneer the market in the region, according to the carmaker.

KIA AT THE PBV FOREFRONT 

Kia is leading Hyundai Motor Group’s PBV project, with an aim to become the world’s top PBV player by 2030.

It broke ground on its first PBV factory at its Hwaseong complex, south of Seoul, in April, with a goal to mass-produce mid-size PBVs from the plant in 2025. The facility is the Korean auto behemoth’s first car manufacturing plant to be built in Korea in nearly three decades.

Once it is completed, the 1 trillion won ($771 million) factory will be capable of churning out 100,000 vehicles a year and can be expanded to produce 150,000 units later, according to Kia.

The Korean carmaker pins high hope on the PBV business, which is considered an integral part of its future mobility strategy dubbed Plan S, a shift toward EVs and customized mobility solutions.

It expects this new vehicle type to account for about a quarter of all cars sold globally by 2030.

Purpose-built vehicles are powered by batteries, and the company plans to add self-driving technology to its PBVs.

Kia sees great potential with PBVs that can be used for various purposes such as public transportation, in clinics, cafes, living space and for freight transfer.

“With our unique PBV approach, we are offering the B2B market a whole new way to make use of sustainable and fully connected mobility,” Kia Europe President Jeong Won-jeong said in a company statement.

“With Pierre-Martin Bos, we have found an experienced executive with a deep understanding of our customers.”

Write to Nan-Sae Bin at binthere@hankyung.com

Sookyung Seo edited this article.