It's a lesser known fact that Kia Motors builds vehicles for military forces. While fixing its reputation throughout the years, the Asian carmaker has also been building military vehicles for South Korea and other countries. Now, Kia's developing a new modular platform to pave the way for its next generation of military vehicles.

Modular Platform For New Vehicles

Kia Motors military truck
Via Kia Motors

After outlining its "Plan S" in September, Kia is disclosing plans to build next-gen military vehicles based on a new standard platform, with plans to start building prototypes of mid-sized standard vehicles within this year. Then, these prototypes will be evaluated by the South Korean government next year. According to plans, once standardization and initial production tests are done, these vehicles should be ready for military deployment starting 2024.

As planned, Kia's next-gen military standard vehicles will replace the current 2.5-ton and 5-ton units. These new standard vehicles will be powered by high-torque 7.0-liter diesel engines mated to automatic transmissions. These next-gen vehicles will also feature ABS and Anti-Spin Regulator (ASR), Rear Parking Assist, and Around View Monitor, as well as satellite navigation and hot wire seats.

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More Specialized Vehicles Ahead

Kia Motors military trucks
Via Kia Motors

By taking on a modular approach in developing new military vehicles using the new platform, Kia will be able to develop new derivatives, which includes specialized vehicles and units equipped with weapons systems. Kia likewise plans to develop new 5-ton bulletproof vehicles.

After coming up with a conceptual brief, Kia is looking to unveil a prototype of its new military all-terrain vehicles (ATV) in 2021. Underpinned by the bare chassis of the Kia Mohave SUV, this new ATV can also be employed in other sectors including industrial and leisure. Aside from these developments, Kia is exploring more innovations – such as autonomous driving and hydrogen fuel cell technologies – for military applications.

Military Production Track Record

Kia Motors military vehicle
Via Kia Motors

So far, Kia has built nine military model types and 100 derivatives, for a total of 140,000 units. These include 0.25-, 1.25-, 2.5- and 5-ton vehicles, the BV206 all-terrain tracked carrier, a 15-ton rescue vehicle and heavy equipment transport tractor, a multipurpose tactical vehicle. Kia can surely count on its production track record to develop and build next-gen military vehicles.

Source: Kia Motors

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